Matatus are part of everyday life in Nairobi. They move the city fast, loud, and full of character. But they’re also part of a bigger problem that many people ignore: careless garbage dumping.
In a widely shared post, Geoffrey Mosira called out the culture of littering from matatus and personal cars, saying Nairobi’s cleanliness problem goes beyond systems and straight into our habits.
“In Kigali, people don’t throw garbage out of moving vehicles. They don’t say ‘it’s none of my business.’ They show up every last Saturday for Umuganda and clean their neighborhoods,” Mosira wrote.
While Nairobi has invested in modern cleaning equipment like street sweepers and compactors Mosira argues that it’s not enough.
“Machines can’t clean up after a careless society,” he said. “We dump trash in road reserves, give waste to street kids, then complain about clogged rivers.”
He urged Nairobians to change how they handle waste: stop throwing trash out of cars, avoid giving it to unlicensed people, and instead use proper county-designated points or authorized collectors.
“Environmental protection is not the government’s job alone. It’s all of us. If we take pride in our city, Nairobi can be one of the cleanest in the world.”
From the chaos of matatu rides to the quiet streets of Kigali, Mosira’s message is clear: we don’t need new slogans we need new habits.
