Essence of Environmental Governance in Solid Waste Management: A Spatial Analysis of the unplanned Dumpsites in Nairobi County

Abstract

In Nairobi County, rapid urban settlement patterns have been on the increase and this in turn results to stretching the existing resources. Due to this, the existing Solid Waste Management systems have resulted to the mushrooming of unplanned dumpsites. Environmental governance in solid waste management is becoming a key pillar in the proper waste management strategies and dominates the development discourse. This has been a constant challenge since public facilities such as dumpsites are not properly mapped by the relevant authorities. Most Nairobi County residents are not conscious of proper and well-maintained waste management systems. The purpose of this study was to explicate the essence of environmental governance in Solid Waste Management using spatial analysis to study why unplanned dumpsites are on the increase in Nairobi County. This study adopted a descriptive research design, and the study areas were the two hundred and seventy seven unplanned dumpsites distributed across three main areas of study namely: Lavington and its environs, Embakasi and its environs and Kibera areas. Sampling was done through Spatial analysis, the data sources were mainly from QuickBird images of 2003 and 2007, and WorldView-2 images of 2013 and 2017. Other secondary data used were Nairobi County boundary shape-file, Kenya rivers shape-file, Kenya roads shape-file and Kenya settlements shape-file they were all obtained from Survey of Kenya databases. This paper however recommends that urban planners in Nairobi County should play a key role in managing Solid Waste. This paper provides a platform for other researchers to conduct further investigation on the essence of Environmental governance to promote solid waste management in Nairobi County.