Feature: Kenyan slum youth venture into waste recycling to fight poverty

David Kimani has in the last five years fought vicious battles to secure a space at the expansive Nairobi's Dandora dumpsite, where he collects plastic bottles and sells them to a recycling plant.

The stocky father of three grew up in a slum village adjacent to the largest landfill in Kenyan capital while garbage collection has been his vocation since completing primary school education.

Like millions of youth born and raised in Nairobi slums, Kimani's prospects in life were diminishing each passing day thanks to abject poverty and negative influences.

Nevertheless, Kimani was undeterred in his quest to rise above the hostile environment he grew up and become a successful entrepreneur.

He is currently the owner of a garbage collection outfit that employs five youth, and is a major supplier of plastic bottles and polythene bags to recycling plants located in Nairobi's industrial area.

In an interview with Xinhua Monday, Kimani was upbeat his business will recover from a recent slump occasioned by stiff competition and prohibitive levies.

"Since I ventured into garbage collection five years ago, I have been able to meet the needs of my family and spare a few coins for future obligations like building a house. The business is picking up after a slow down over the festive season," said Kimani.

His makeshift workstation inside the Dandora dumpsite was a beehive of activity on Monday afternoon as the employees sorted out plastic bottles from a pile of waste offloaded from a lorry.

Kimani has not regretted the decision to venture into garbage recycling after school despite opposition from close family members and friends.

Back in the day, garbage collection was regarded as a filthy and dangerous venture, but Kimani went ahead to try his hand in it after securing seed capital from his retired father.

"I had done my own research and consulted widely with established players who convinced me that waste recycling promised returns. An older relative had earlier bought a car from the proceeds of garbage collection," Kimani told Xinhua.

On a good day, he earns 30 dollars from selling sacks of plastic bottles, polythene bags and biodegradable material to recycling plants located in Nairobi's industrial zone.

Kimani's comrades in waste recycling business agreed that it has insulated them from penury and a myriad social ills that blight slum youth.

His childhood friend and business partner who requested to be referred by his first name Chris hailed the positive impact of waste recycling to the lives of slum youth.

"I grew up in harsh conditions in Korogocho slums but a ray of hope appeared when I finished secondary education. There was a philanthropist who mobilized youth in my neighborhood and provided them with capital to start the business of garbage collection," Chris told Xinhua.

The father of one in his early 30s revealed that he recently enrolled for a business management course in a private college after saving enough money from the waste recycling business.

"I have always desired to be a skilled entrepreneur hence my decision to enroll for a diploma in business management. My future dream is to invest in a waste recycling plant and employ young Kenyans with a university education," said Chris.

The expansive Dandora dumpsite is currently a coveted base for slum youth with an entrepreneur mind despite its myriad health and environmental hazards.

Armed with resilience and ingenuity, these youth have been able to convert trash into cash.

The enterprising slum youth have won recognition from the Nairobi County government that has contracted them to help clear mountains of garbage in residential premises.

Evans Kidero, Nairobi county governor, said Monday that his government had earmarked 450,000 dollars to clear mountains of garbage that have been an eyesore since the festive season.

"We will be spending 10,000 dollars every day for the next 45 days to ensure that Nairobi is restored to its former status as a green capital. Private contractors will partner with the National Youth Service to alleviate the garbage menace," Kidero told reporters.

He added the county government will roll out a raft of incentives to encourage the youth to venture into garbage collection as a full time occupation.

Caleb Kidali, the founder of a youth organization that promotes environmental hygiene in low income Nairobi suburbs, said garbage collection has provided sustainable revenue streams and sense of hope to youth from under-privileged backgrounds.

"During its formative stages, garbage collection was like a hobby for bored youth until it evolved into a money minting exercise," Kidali told Xinhua. Enditem