Fly High: A Kenyan Community’s Innovative Plan for Change

Food waste has plagued Mukuru’s streets for years (Wikimedia Commons).

Residents of one of Kenya’s poorest communities are taking action against food waste and pollution. 

Of the four million people that live in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, nearly 70 percent live in informal settlements. The 700,000 Kenyans living in Mukuru suffer from air pollution, crime, unpaved roads, poorly-built houses of iron, plastic, or cardboard, a lack of potable water, respiratory diseases, and food waste (discarded and leftover foods). 

The government approved a plan in 2021 to revitalize the area by building new homes and collaborating with women-led and youth groups. However, food waste remains a problem in Mukuru today. Although food normally decomposes, unwanted food in Mukuru is mostly left in plastic bags. The plastic is not decomposable, leaving both the plastic and the organic material inside to rot on the streets and in the Ngong River. The waste then traps stagnant water and prevents run-off. In addition, the food waste releases carbon dioxide and worsens climate change. Studies show that food waste contributes nearly eight percent of world carbon emissions. In Mukuru, the lack of proper ventilation traps these particles in the settlement, polluting the air and putting an already vulnerable population at risk. 

However, citizens have come up with a solution. They plan to use black soldier fly (BSF) units to dispose of at least 70 percent of existing waste. The larvae would consume both existing food waste and food before it ends up on the streets. The BSF units are able to process organic waste (such as food) efficiently, speeding up the decomposition process and returning clean streets to residents. 

Besides clearing up food waste, the BSF units provide much-needed fertilizer to Mukuru’s farmers. Farmers use the converted waste to revitalize their plots. Farmers receiving the new fertilizer also save money on store-bought, expensive fertilizers. Crops flourish, and these low-income farmers ultimately earn more profit. Professor of Agricultural Geography at Technical University of Kenya Alice Atieno Oluoko-Odingo explained, “The product can directly be added to farms to improve soil fertility, thus reducing over dependence on inorganic fertilizers which have been responsible for water and soil pollution. […] The fly larvae is also used for feed processing (alone or in combination with other normal feeds) for poultry and pigs. The ability of the BSF larvae to convert waste into protein, when processed and added to poultry and pig meals, assists in quick growth of poultry and pigs, thus benefiting farmers to not only improve productivity and incomes and fight food insecurity but also eliminate organic waste.”

Citizens of Mukuru are not helpless. They suffer from lack of sanitation, but even within the settlement, life goes on: kids play games, mothers raise their children, and vendors sell fresh produce, Kenyan specialties, and affordable supplies. The community in Mukuru is strong, and today, that community is banding together to eliminate the food waste clogging their home. 

Dr. Oluoko-Odingo reflected, “BSF has great potential. In Africa, dealing with human solid waste is resented. Innovations that promote the use of BSF could provide an answer to dealing with such wastes and convert them to useful environment-friendly fertilizer. Biodegrading kitchen waste (including those from restaurants/hotels) would free the environment from large wastes, reduce the cost of waste disposal and related-methane emissions.”