Babu Owino: Ksh39B looted from Nairobi through fake garbage collection
Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino has claimed that the Nairobi County government embezzled at least Ksh39 billion through a fake garbage collection scheme.
Speaking on Monday, October 13, 2025, during an interview with a local media house, Babu Owino claimed that the funds were siphoned off through fictitious garbage collection projects.
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“Ksh39bn imeibwa Nairobi na imefujwa kwa njia ya kupay fake garbage collection na tena kulipa law firms,” Owino revealed.
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Garbage collectors outcry
Meanwhile, his remarks come months after the Nairobi City garbage collectors downed their tools, citing delayed payments, which they claim has become the order of the day.
Dressed in their red overalls and armed with twigs and placards, the casual labourers who work under the AGL garbage collection company turned up in large numbers outside Mediamax offices on Kijabe Street, claiming that they have not received their three months’ dues.
Speaking to K24 Digital, the protestors aired their never-ending grievances and also stated their demands.
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“Our employer (AGL) is making our lives harder by the day. They have made a habit of paying us around three to four times a year. Most of us have never been paid since December, others since November. Since I joined AGL in August 2019, the salary payment has been very inconsistent. How does AGL expect us to survive in this city with no money? I call upon Senator Sakaja [Johnson] and other relevant Nairobi County officials to rescue us,” Moses Owino said.
37-year-old Lilian Seyo expressed her frustrations with City Hall.
“I am a mother of four. Currently, two of my children are at home for lack of school fees. I have been kicked out of my house by the landlord for failing to pay rent for the past three months; to my luck, a relative has taken me in together with my children. I have so many pending bills and I don’t even know my fate.”
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The garbage collection company whose offices are based on Lagos Road is said to have employed around 150 workers without issuing them with contracts.
According to the workers, the company pays them Ksh500 a day and are expected to work six days a week.
Nairobi County budget
While Nairobi county’s Ksh44.6 billion budget for the 2025-26 financial year channels billions into health, education and infrastructure, little attention has been given to garbage collection and sanitation.
Despite repeated public outcry over the city’s growing filth problem, the newly approved budget has overlooked waste management, leaving residents and traders frustrated.
“Garbage collection is not a luxury; it’s a basic need. We expected the county to finally act this year, but it’s the same story,” Kamau Njoroge, a trader in Kasarani, said.
“The air is polluted, the streets are filthy, and our businesses are suffering.”
The county assembly approved the budget during a special sitting, allocating Ksh31.2 billion to recurrent expenditure and Ksh13.4 billion to development.
