NAIROBI CITY, GIVE GOVERNOR KIDERO A BREAK!!!

Yes, give Dr. Kidero a break! I am an ardent reader of newspapers. I like to know what’s happening. Unfortunately, every two weeks, my sacred reading time has to be rudely interrupted by someone complaining about the state of the Nairobi County. The first thing they always write about is how dirty Nairobi is. That just drives me up the wall and you know why? Kidero doesn’t dirtify Nairobi. You, Nairobi residents, do. Except those who come for the Mazingira Safi Initiative clean-ups.

Nairobi is a sight for sore eyes and do you know what is worse than that, an educated woman or man, throwing a plastic bottle, fruit or God knows what else out of the window of the matatu or worse off, a Range rover. Kenya boasts of educated barons. How many universities do we have per square kilometre again? And yet with all that knowledge, with over 300,000 graduates a year, we still have a dirty Nairobi!

Those who write in to complain about how dirty Nairobi is, what steps have they taken to make it less dirty? What is the probability that he/she has litters? Or that he/she has seen someone dispose something indecently and walked by telling him/her nothing? What is the probability that his/her children, nephews or cousins litter or the probability that when he/she goes for visiting day in school, they leave their spot full of trash? Let me tell you, it is about 97%.

I am tired of reading complaints in the dailies. Anyone can complain, from a 2 year old to a 100 year old. But, who is giving solutions? Let me break it down for you nice and slow. It is NOT KIDERO’S WORK TO KEEP NAIROBI CLEAN AND NEITHER IS IT THE NAIROBI COUNTY COUNCIL! IT IS YOUR WORK!!

There is only so much the government can do. There are bins in the CBD. How many people use them? Do you litter in your house? Even if NCC had 1000 lorries, with this senseless, despicable activity of littering, Nairobi would be dirty anyway. How can the NCC move from one place to another sweeping yet they are not the ones who litter? Why are you giving them responsibility of something you can change? If day in and day out they sweep the CBD, when will they ever get to sweep outside CBD? Why should they even be sweeping in the first place? It’s your trash! Put it in a bin! Therefore, before you think of complaining about how dirty Nairobi is, ask yourself if you are part of the problem or part of the solution. What are you doing to make Nairobi better? What value is your education adding to the country? Are you a complainer or a problem solver?

Littering is the simplest form of environmental degradation. There is no difference between one who is cutting down a tree and you who is littering. It is also a social evil practised by human beings, who are the most knowledgeable of all the creatures in, over and under the planet, earth and the heavens. Clearly, education does not eliminate foolishness.

Therefore, next time you see someone litter, tell them to BIN their trash. If there is no bin around, tell them to carry their trash until they find one even if it is until they get to their house. Don’t litter yourself and teach children to do the same. After writing an article or a Facebook post to complain, end the post with a solution.

Nairobi is not for Dr. Kidero to keep clean. It is for you and me. Stop littering today then like Mazingira Safi Initiative on Facebook and @MsafiInitiative on twitter then, challenge your friend, neighbour and stranger to stop littering. Inspire them to tell the next person and the next. Littering is horrible. After that, sponsor a bin or adopt a highway, contributing resources to Mazingira Safi Initiative to keep streets clean and then become one of our volunteers in our monthly cleanups. After sometime, you should be able to see a change! Share this article as a first step of creating change.

LITTER FACTS & MYTHS: DON'T BE A LITTER BUG!!!!!!

What is litter? It simply is trash put in the wrong place, in a place where it doesn't belong.

Trash can belong any number of places - in the garbage can, in the recycling bin, in a reuse facility, at the sanitary landfill or the waste-to-energy plant. Where it does not belong is on the ground, in the rivers or oceans or blowing in the air.

Litter originates from SEVEN major sources. Four are stationary sources where people live and work - household trash collection areas, business trash collection areas, business and industrial loading docks and construction and demolition sites. Three are moving sources - uncovered trucks, motorists and pedestrians.

Although there are many reasons given for littering, two of the most common are not having a disposal container available and being too lazy to walk to the recycling or trash container. Although most people will agree litter is ugly, most do not know it has economic, legal and environmental repercussions as well.

Litter is ugly. No one likes to live where there is litter. Neighbourhoods with a litter problem usually have higher crime, lower property values and less pride in their neighbourhood. Litter begets litter. A place that is littered tends to encourage more litter i.e. a dropped off washing machine soon encourages other debris and a dump site is formed. So, the quicker dropped litter is picked up, the less chance it has of accumulating.

Litter is also expensive. Every year, governments spend millions of shillings cleaning up litter. Houses for sale in littered neighbourhoods usually don’t get the best prices and owners lose money. Fires started by dropped or dumped litter cause millions of dollars of damage every year.

Litter is illegal. Kenyans are unaware of littering fines. In Pennsylvania, if you are caught littering from a vehicle, you can be fined up to $300 (KES 26580). Most localities also have fines for businesses or pedestrians caught littering. Littering in Kenya should perhaps be made a serious offence punishable by such hefty fines as it will be against the law. This will enable Kenyans and make them aware that opening a package of gum and dropping the wrapper on the sidewalk is doing an illegal act and, if caught, MUST face charges!!! Maybe then, the country will be cleaner.

Litter hurts people. Young children fall on litter in playgrounds, get cut and need medical attention. Litter also harms plants and degrades natural areas. When garbage is dumped, it can kill or stunt plant growth. Few people think about the harm to natural areas from litter.

Litter kills or injures animals. Many small animals crawl into bottles or jars and get stuck and slowly starve to death. Animals get caught in plastic six pack rings, plastic bags, fishing line and a multitude of throwaways. Birds that are stuck can’t fly away from danger. Sometimes animals caught in six pack rings are strangled as they grow too big for the opening. Animals get cut, infected and die. Every year, millions of birds, fish and animals die from litter.

Litter is a problem that can be controlled. Education is an important tool. People who are aware of the dangers of litter often make more of an effort to always put their trash the correct place. They also spread the word to others they see littering and teach them to dispose of garbage the right way. Community clean ups encourage people to take pride in their community and keep it clean. Quick removal of litter keeps it from growing into an unmanageable dump site. People can make a difference. Litter can be conquered.

MYTH: Litter control is not important.

FACT: Litter may not be the most dramatic or exciting of the many problems that threaten the quality of our environment, but it is a problem which affects everyone in the community

MYTH: Only "certain types" of people litter.

FACT: "Litterbugs" can be found among people of every age, sex, race and ethnic origin, at every level of society and in all geographic locations

MYTH: Littering creates jobs.

FACT: LITTER COSTS MONEY. Taxpayers pay millions of dollars annually for roadside clean-up. Not a good way to spend out taxes.

MYTH: No one notices litter.

FACT: LITTER DESTROYS THE BEAUTY OF A COMMUNITY. Tourism is an important part of government's economy. People come from all over the world to see the beauty of our countryside, towns and cities. When litter mars their enjoyment, governments lose valuable tourist shillings.

MYTH: Litter doesn't hurt anyone.

FACT: Litter is a safety hazard. Litter is a breeding ground for fire and disease, for rats and disease-causing bacteria.

FACT: Ingesting litter causes injury or death to thousands of pets, wild and farm animals.

MYTH: Litter doesn't affect the economy.

FACT: Litter discourages economic development because it impacts real estate values. Good stores and important businesses will not locate in a community which lacks the pride to effectively control litter.

Before you litter next time, think of all the consequences that will follow!

(Adapted from PENNdot, customized for Kenyans by Purity Wanjohi)