- Thousands joined World Cleanup Day activities in Kisii, targeting waste, rivers and public spaces.
- Governor Simba Arati challenged institutions to develop innovations that convert garbage into useful products.
- Leaders also urged residents to embrace recycling, waste segregation and environmental conservation across Kisii.
Kisii town came to a standstill on Sunday as thousands of residents, leaders and environmentalists joined the world in marking World Cleanup Day 2026, with a call to turn waste into wealth.
The national celebrations, hosted by the County Government of Kisii led by Governor Simba Arati and Deputy Governor Elijah Obebo, were held at the Kisii Agricultural Training Centre (ATC). NEMA had earlier confirmed Kisii County as the venue for Kenya’s national World Cleanup Day celebrations on September 20, 2026.
Those present included a representative from the UN-Habitat Regional Office for Africa, Migori Governor Dr Ochilo Ayacko, Broadcasting and Telecommunications Principal Secretary Stephen Isaboke, NEMA Director General Dr Mamo B. Mamo, Controller of Budget Dr Margaret Nyakang’o, Bonchari MP Charles Onchoke, Nyaribari Chache MP Zaheer Jhanda, West Mugirango MP Steve Mogaka, MCAs, county executives and officers from NEMA.
The exercise started with the cleaning of Kisii town’s CBD, Daraja Mbili market and the banks of River Nyakomisaro, where tonnes of plastic waste, polythene bags and abandoned clothes were collected by youth groups, women’s groups, students from Kisii University and Gusii Institute, and county staff.
Speaking at the Kisii Agricultural Training Centre, Governor Simba Arati said Kisii town’s population is growing rapidly and warned that by 2030 it could reach 500,000.
He asked Kisii Municipal Board Chairman Jiwa Shamji and his committee to think ahead about how the town will be maintained.
Arati said his administration had bought two new garbage trucks and would employ more cleaners to ensure garbage is collected daily.
“My chairman of the municipality, Jiwa Shamji, your work has just started. Kisii is growing. By 2030 we will be 500,000 people in this town. How will we manage garbage, how will we manage traffic, how will we maintain cleanliness every day, not just on World Cleanup Day? You must plan now,” Arati said.
With nostalgia, Arati narrated the history of Nyambera, which he said was once a cemetery and later became a dumpsite.
“Many of us know this place. Nyambera was a cemetery. It was a place of mourning, of darkness, of crying. People feared passing here. But today, we have transformed that painful history into joy. From a cemetery to a dumpsite, and now from a dumpsite to Etaya Governor’s Park, a recreational centre for our children. This is the new Kisii we want,” he said.
The transformation of the former Nyambera dumpsite into a recreational park has been independently documented, while county development plans had previously provided for decommissioning the site and establishing a nature park.
Schools challenged on waste innovation
Arati challenged teachers, Kisii National Polytechnic and Kisii University to be at the forefront of innovation.
“I ask all our school teachers, our Polytechnic and our University, do not just teach theory. Help us think how the 50 tonnes of garbage we collect daily in Kisii town can be converted into important agricultural fertilizer to create employment for our youth and stabilize food security for our people. That is the research we need,” Arati said.
A Materials Recovery Facility established at the Kisii Agricultural Training Centre is reported to have capacity to process up to 50 tonnes of waste daily, including converting organic waste into useful products.
The UN-Habitat representative praised Kisii for its efforts in waste management and challenged young people to view waste as a potential business opportunity.
NEMA Director General Dr Mamo B. Mamo warned against dumping waste in rivers and said the authority would work with Kisii County to restore River Nyakomisaro.
Broadcasting and Telecommunications Principal Secretary Stephen Isaboke said technology could play an important role in identifying illegal dumpsites and improving waste collection.
Isaboke is the Principal Secretary for the State Department for Broadcasting and Telecommunications, rather than “ICT PS” as initially stated.
Migori Governor Dr Ochilo Ayacko lauded cooperation between neighbouring counties and called for stronger environmental protection across the Lake Victoria basin.
Controller of Budget Dr Margaret Nyakang’o encouraged residents, especially women and youth, to embrace recycling as a way of making money.
“Waste is money. Those plastic bottles you throw can be sold, those banana fibres can become bags, that market waste can become manure. Let us not just clean, let us recycle and earn,” she said, urging schools to start recycling clubs.
Nyaribari Chache MP Zaheer Jhanda proposed that cleaning should not end with the streets but should also extend to governance.
“Today we have cleaned the town, but we must also clean the County Government. We must clean corruption, clean ghost workers, clean pending bills. A clean county is not just about garbage, it is about clean governance,” Jhanda said, drawing cheers and murmurs from the crowd.
Bonchari MP Charles Onchoke called for the deployment of NYS officers to help in town cleaning, while West Mugirango MP Steve Mogaka asked residents to stop dumping diapers and other waste into River Nyakomisaro.
Nyambera transformed into park
The climax of the day was at the former Nyambera dumpsite, which for years had been an eyesore and source of stench for residents of Nyambera estate.
Governor Arati announced that the site would no longer operate as a dumpsite.
In a symbolic act, leaders planted indigenous trees at the site and unveiled a signboard renaming it Etaya Governor’s Park, to be developed as a recreational park with a recycling centre, tree nursery and children’s play area.
“We are turning a place of shame into a place of honour. From today, Nyambera dumpsite is dead. Long live Etaya Governor’s Park,” Arati declared as residents cheered.
The renaming and transformation of Nyambera into Etaya Governor’s Park had already been reported ahead of the World Cleanup Day celebrations.
The county said waste would now be sorted and directed to designated waste-management facilities.
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The ceremony ended with the awarding of certificates to the cleanest estates, with Nyanchwa estate named the cleanest in Kisii town.
By Enock Okong’o
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