The city of Nairobi occupies a pivotal place as the diplomatic nerve centre of the Horn of Africa region. It is also fast emerging as an important business and technological hub in Africa.

The Kenyan capital is also the home of the United Nations Office in Nairobi, which serves as the UN’s headquarters in Africa and the only such UN base in the Global South.

It is the only headquarters of a UN programme outside of Europe, the Americas, and Asia.

In a significant move, Kenya is to receive a boost as the UN seeks to relocate about 1,000 of its staff from its headquarters in New York and Geneva.

With this kind of development, one would expect that the authorities, especially the county government and the Interior ministry, will ensure we have an orderly, clean and secure city befitting Nairobi’s status.

Unfortunately, the converse is true.

To say that the Nairobi City County is incompetent is to understate the obvious. Nairobi streets are littered with hawkers who operate from every possible walkway for political expediency.

Most of the buildings in the city could do with a new coat of paint.

Garbage collection remains a major challenge. While many assume it’s an issue limited to the Central Business District, the problem has spread to satellite settlements – areas where hardworking Kenyans have invested in land and built their homes.

While residents must be held accountable for poor disposal habits, Governor Johnson Sakaja’s administration bears the ultimate responsibility for ensuring that garbage is collected and disposed of at designated sites.

Nairobi is not an isolated case.

A walk through most Kenyan cities reveals a nationwide crisis in garbage management. Mombasa, for instance, struggles not only with waste but also chronic water shortages.

Devolution was designed to bring services closer to the people. Governors must prioritise efficient garbage collection if counties are to thrive.

Clean cities are crucial for attracting investors. No foreign investor will leave London or the US to set up a business in a city drowning in trash.

As county governments allocate billions to pay contractors, they must also dedicate significant resources to waste management.

Clean cities are not a luxury. They are a necessity.