Solid Waste Management
in African Cities – East Africa
James Okot-Okumu
Additional information is available at the end of the chapter
http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/50241
1. Introduction
This chapter analyses solid waste management trends in East African cities from the
colonial time to the present, where the cities have moved from the purely centrally
controlled systems monopolised by the urban authorities to the current mixture of both
public and private systems in varying combinations, that involve many actors(service
providers) serving the different urban communities. The main challenges associated with
this transition in solid waste management systems are described and compared among
the major cities.
In most developing countries it is the urban authorities that are responsible for waste
management. Waste management is one of the most visible urban services whose
effectiveness and sustainability serves as an indicator for good local governance, sound
municipal management and successful urban reforms. Waste management therefore is a
very good indicator of performance of a municipality.
Information for the preparation of this chapter came entirely from publications and reports
on waste management in Urban Councils of the East African Community (EAC) Countries
of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The chapter will examine the management of solid waste
from the source to final disposal and will describe and compare waste management in East
African cities. This chapter will also examine E-wastes which is becoming a significant
management issue in East African urban centres.
2. Trends in solid waste management in East African cities
Waste management in urban centres of East Africa has for a long time been centralised
(Liyala 2011), with the use of imported refuse truck (Rotich et al., 2006; Okot-Okumu &
Nyenje 2011) that collect wastes from sources or transfer point and deliver to designated