Nairobi County officials have placed blame on residents for worsening the city’s flooding crisis, saying widespread illegal dumping continues to choke drainage systems and frustrate waste management efforts.

Chief Officer for Environment Geoffrey Mosiria said the persistent habit of throwing garbage from vehicles and along road reserves, as well as the use of unauthorised waste collectors, is at the heart of the garbage problem that is contributing to flooding during rains.

“Stop illegal dumping. Do not throw garbage from your cars or matatus along road reserves, where it ends up in rivers and clogs our drainage systems,” Mosiria said on Monday.

He said Nairobi has invested in modern technology such as street sweepers and refuse compactors to improve cleanliness, but emphasised that the county’s efforts will not bear fruit unless residents change their attitudes towards the environment.

“We, as the county government, are committed to making sure the city is clean, but I’m calling upon the city residents to take responsibility for their city by making sure that they keep it clean. It is a collective responsibility, not an individual one,” he said.

Mosiria cited Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, as a model of environmental discipline, noting that Nairobians should borrow from Rwanda’s national clean-up day, Umuganda, where citizens actively participate in community sanitation.

“In Rwanda, they do not dump garbage along road reserves like we often do. They do not blame the government for everything; they understand they are the government. They value and protect their country,” he said.

He also condemned the frequent vandalism of public property, including the destruction of newly installed bins, saying such actions reverse the progress made in improving waste handling in the city.

In a strong warning, Mosiria cautioned residents against handing their waste to street families or unlicensed individuals, saying such practices feed into the growing garbage burden. Instead, he advised households and businesses to use authorised collectors and county transfer points.

“Environmental protection is not the government’s job alone; it is a shared responsibility. If we all take ownership of our environment, love it, and reject the ‘I don’t care’ culture, Nairobi can become one of the cleanest and most beautiful cities in the world,” he said.

He also warned community-based organisations and private waste handlers who dump at unauthorised sites, saying their licences will be revoked on the spot.

“This reckless behaviour is a major contributor to the pollution affecting our environment and public health,” he said. “Any CBO or private operator found dumping at unauthorised sites will have their licences revoked without further notice.”

The county has started identifying and shutting down illegal dumpsites as part of its efforts to crack down on environmental violations.

However, Nairobi’s flooding and drainage issues go beyond dumping. Former Water Executive Vesca Kangogo noted that most of the city’s drainage infrastructure was built during colonial times and was only meant to serve a population of under 500,000. Today, the city has nearly five million residents, but the infrastructure has not kept pace.

“The planners did not foresee the population increase. The design of the city and major roads leading to the CBD makes it hard to properly address drainage in the CBD and the city outskirts,” she said.

County Chief Officer for Roads Fredrick Karanja also called for a complete overhaul of the stormwater management plan, noting the current design is outdated.

“Inadequate design of a stormwater system automatically contributes to flooding. A big investment is required to separate the stormwater drainage and the sewer lines to stop the overflow,” he said.

Governor Johnson Sakaja echoed the concerns, admitting the drainage system is unable to handle the volume of rainfall experienced in recent months.

“The drainage system was built with a fixed capacity. It cannot handle the current volume of water during heavy rains,” he said.