Effects of outsourcing on sustainable solid waste management in the urban areas in Kenya: a case study of Nakuru municipality, Nakuru County

Abstract

Rapid increase in the volume and types of solid waste as a result of continuous economic growth, urbanization and industrialization, is becoming a burgeoning problem for national and local governments in developing countries in ensuring effective and sustainable management of waste. Outsourcing as a concept has been applied immensely when dealing with situations that are beyond an organization’s capacity to regulate. Outsourcing in solid waste management emanates from the inability of the local authorities to effectively manage the ever growing volumes of waste generated. This study therefore sought to assess the effects of outsourcing in the management of solid waste in urban areas of Kenya. The study was carried out in Nakuru Municipality. The study’s objectives were: to examine the process of outsourcing in sustainable solid waste management, to assess the operations of the private solid waste collectors, assess the effectiveness of outsourcing of solid waste management in the study area, to establish the challenges of outsourcing for sustainable municipal solid waste management and to recommend way forward based on the findings of the study. The research design used in the study was a case study focusing on Nakuru Municipality in Nakuru County. The study targeted active participants in solid waste management within the study area which included the County Government of Nakuru through the department of Public Health and the private solid waste collectors. The target population was 24 private solid waste collectors all of which were purposively chosen. Purposive sampling technique was used in selecting the respondent from the County Government and the senior staff of the private collectors. Questionnaires, semi structured interviews, focused group discussions, photography, satellite imagery and observations were used as the data collection instruments. The findings were subjected to statistical package for social sciences to generate tables, percentages, graphs and charts. Descriptive data analysis was used in the study. The study found that all the operators had functioning offices within their service areas. The Municipality was subdivided into several zones with a majority of the private solid waste collectors operating within one zone with less than 1000 clients. A majority of the private solid waste collectors collected garbage from their clients on a weekly basis using open trucks with tents instead of the recommended closed trucks and the waste is dumped in a poorly managed open dumpsite run by the County Government of Nakuru. The County Government of Nakuru contracts supervises and regulates the operations of the service providers and sets the fees to be charged by the private solid waste collectors for different socio-economic groups. Door to door collection is the most preferable mode of revenue collection with all the sampled private solid waste collectors being profitable. Outsourcing has resulted in efficient delivery of service. The major challenges are lack of clear policy and regulatory frameworks, Political interference, lack of adequate capacities both capital and human resources and poor infrastructure. The study recommends that the County Government of Nakuru restructures the sizes and the number of zones to enable the private solid waste collectors to have sufficient revenue bases and to extend duration of the contracts. Longer contracts coupled with the wider revenue bases will also enable the private solid waste collectors to attract financial support from lending institutions. The County Government of Nakuru should consider commercializing the entire management of solid waste by establishing an independent entity, either a company or a parastatal, to be fully in charge of solid waste collection and disposal