The Dump Site Entrepreneur

Kericho, June 19th 2023,

by Kibe Mburu/Steve Were

The Kericho dump site, located on the outskirts of the green tea-leafed town where tons of waste are dumped on a daily basis also accommodates many people whose livelihoods are dependent on the collection of waste materials such as high-impact polystyrene used to make electronics, soft drink cups, and construction materials. 

From the dumpsite’s entrance, one can spot a frenzy of activity as trash collectors try to fill up their sacks with all types of material such as plastics, metals, glasses, and rubbers.

In what seems like a competition for the trash, flesh-eating animals including wild pigs can be spotted from a distance also scavenging the junk heaps.

The scrap collectors who accepted to speak to Kenya News Agency all claimed to have literally resided within the precincts of the dumpsite since time immemorial.

Meet Douglas Ndege a middle-aged man who ekes out a living from the dumping and scavenging grounds through the collection of plastics, scrap metals, glasses, and rubbers for recyclers who frequent the dumpsite to purchase the collections, for reprocessing into valuable commodities.

Ndege is among the tens of trash pickers in the vast dumpsite who dig into the high mountains of toxic waste in search of the materials, after which they separate and package in sacks hoping against hope, that a willing buyer would come through.

“It is not always a guarantee that recyclers come to buy these materials, we work and cross our fingers. I charge only Sh.20 per Kilogram, and if I am lucky, I can even sell ten kilograms of either rubber, plastics, metals, or glasses per day,” revealed Ndege.

He says it can take him at least three hours to fill up the valuable scrap in his bag, a hustle he reveals has taken him over 17 years to master.

“I have been in this dump site since 2006 and the collection of these materials has enabled me to fend for my family and I'm able to pay house rent in the Nyagacho area just a few kilometers away from the dumpsite” added Ndege.

The trash picker left Kisii which according to him was his County of birth in search of greener pastures in Kericho town after he dropped out of school due to financial constraints in his family.

“I dropped out of school in 2003 since my parents could not afford to keep me in school, so I decided to look for casual jobs in Kericho and since I couldn’t find any, I had no choice but to start living in the streets as an urchin,” said Ndege

He revealed, life on the streets of Kericho town was tough and he had to endure it for five years before discovering the treasure at the dumpsites which he says was a blessing in disguise as his living standards has gradually improved.

"I am a proud father of two children, my firstborn is in nursery school, and through the little I struggle to get from the dumpsite, I pay school fees and meet all school requirements for my daughter. I've also managed to open a vegetable stall for my wife and to me this is good progress, I am happy," said Ndege.

Ndege, however, called on the County and National governments to support the trash pickers at the dumpsite by providing them with protective devices such as gloves, gumboots, masks, and overalls as well as digging tools, to reduce the risk of injuries they get exposed to on their day-to-day activities.

“The trash pickers are exposed to dangerous items like syringes from the hospitals and that is why we critically need protective gears to minimize the health risks especially when the waste is burnt and we have to inhale noxious gases,” added Ndege

Courtesy ; K. N. A