How Kenya’s Micro-Retailers are Addressing the Waste Crisis
Kenya’s growing waste crisis is detrimental to the environment and poses serious health risks for local communities. Learn how TechnoServe’s Smart Duka program is helping micro-retailers gain the knowledge and tools needed to improve their waste management practices.
Kenya faces a significant challenge when it comes to waste management. Across the country, an estimated 92% of plastic is mismanaged, and only 7% is effectively recycled. Kenya’s small retail shops—known as dukas—have an important role to play, but most of the country’s small retailers are struggling to handle their waste properly. A recent survey found that 90% of duka owners had not received formal waste management training.
This growing waste crisis is detrimental to the environment and poses serious health risks for local communities, such as dirty and unsafe common spaces, air pollution due to the burning of waste, and the blockage of drainage systems, especially during rainy periods. Recognizing the urgent need to address this issue, TechnoServe partnered with TakaTaka ni Mali and Mr. Green Africa through the Smart Duka program. Since 2015, the Smart Duka program has been helping micro-retailers in Nairobi increase the profitability of their shops, and now, retailers will also get practical skills and tools to dispose of their waste safely.
Uncovering the Challenge Through a Needs Assessment
To better understand the challenges faced by dukas, TechnoServe conducted a comprehensive waste management needs assessment survey. Examples of questions included:
- What type of waste does your shop produce?
- How much waste does your shop produce?
- What waste management measures are you currently using?
- Do you segregate waste by type?
Duka owners cited a lack of training and limited access to waste segregation, storage solutions, and correct disposal as significant barriers to effective waste management. With these insights, TechnoServe set out to develop a targeted intervention to address the root causes of the problem.
Empowering Microretailers Through Training and Capacity Building
The Smart Duka program, funded by Moody’s Foundation, set out to equip duka owners with the knowledge and tools needed to improve their waste management practices. Through hands-on training sessions, small retailers learned about the importance of proper waste segregation, storage, and disposal.
Norman Nyambu is a micro-retailer who joined the Smart Duka program in 2017 and has since embraced waste management training. He currently serves as the chair of the Creative Duka Owners Self-Help Group. Under his leadership, the group has positioned itself as an aggregator for the cardboard waste initiative in the Mathare area.
So far, the group has engaged over 20 dukas in collecting cardboard waste. They have aggregated more than 400 kilograms of cardboard, contributing to the 1.7 tons of cardboard waste collected by August 2024 in the cardboard waste initiative.
Fostering a Greener Future for Kenya’s Businesses and Communities
By addressing the waste management challenges faced by Kenya’s small retailers, the Smart Duka program is not only improving environmental outcomes but also supporting the transition to more sustainable business practices. This holistic approach fosters healthier communities and promotes the development of a greener economy—a crucial step in Kenya’s journey toward a more sustainable future.
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