"Now we are paying the cost of poor management either through flooding, land slides or various diseases because of open dumping. It is about time people realise that the solutions are with us," said Betty Nzioka, the deputy head of the state-run National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA).

"We are all involved in littering the environment, somebody must take the lead in cleaning it," she said, calling for partnerships between the public and private sectors.

Health experts have blamed industrial, hospital and domestic waste for the spread of diseases, among other problems.

The government has announced plans to create a national plastic recycling fund to deal with plastic bags which are a key source of pollution in the country.

Home to 4.5 million people, Nairobi alone produces 2,400 tonnes of fresh waste every day, most of it dumped in the Dandora slums in the city's outskirts, which hold the dubious distinction of being a member of the "dirty 30" club of the world's most polluted sites.

According to a 2007 report by the Blacksmith Institute, Dandora is one of the two most polluted sites on the continent, with the other being a lead mine in Zambia.

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