The City of Nairobi with an estimated population of over 4 million, is rapidly growing and subjected to high exposure risk of ambient air pollution.
In collaboration with other stakeholders,Breathe Nairobi Initiative was launched on Tuesday 11 September to address the hazard.
The Breathe Nairobi Initiative partners include Bloomberg Philanthropies,C40 Cities and Clean Air Fund with an aim to tackle air pollution challenges in Kenya and across the world.
Green Nairobi County Executive Committee Member,Maureen Njeri expressed confidence that results of the Breathe Nairobi Initiative will be impactful in creating lasting improvements as far as air quality for the residents of Nairobi is concerned.
‘What sets Breathe Nairobi apart is its innovative approach, placing the city-county government at the centre of implementation.This ensures a sustainable and locally driven strategy to address air pollution,’ she added.
‘We look forward to an engaging and fruitful implementation phase, and we hope that this initiative serves as a foundation for expanded partnerships and continued collaboration,’ said Njeri.
Nairobi City County Executive Committee Member (CECM) in charge of the mobility sector, Ibrahim Auma said that the transport sector contributes significantly to air pollution in the city.
‘Nairobi plans to promote sustainable and low-emission transport by facilitating the transition to electric buses,e-motorcycles and other eco-friendly alternatives.
We are also engaging with key stakeholders to enhance public transportation systems, with a particular focus on expanding Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) networks and other innovative solutions,’ he added.
Auma further mentioned a robust air quality monitoring system that is being developed.
‘As we transition to greener transport options, the resulting emission reductions will be tracked in real-time,’ he said.
Operations and Finance Director of the Clean Air Fund, Mike Saxton, said that Breathe Nairobi is a commitment to the residents of Nairobi and a vital step in tackling air pollution.
Saxton mentioned four pillars for Breathe Nairobi Initiative including Stakeholder and Community Engagement, Lesson Sharing , Data and Research and Technical Policies Systems.
‘The journey for Breathe Nairobi began in October 2023 when Governor Johnson Sakaja made a bold decision to join the initiative with nine projects that cut across those pillars.We want to achieve real impact by mid-2026,’ he added.
Seneca Naidoo,a technical head for Breath Cities Africa,C40 Cities, said that through this initiative, Africa will be able to tackle bigger polluters in her cities.
‘We should make sure that we tailor the solutions to incentivise people to do better in terms of cleaning the air as opposed to restricting them,’ she added.
‘We need to be taking strides as African cities to develop solutions and interventions tailored to our local context.’
‘We need to think more innovatively,a little more out of the box in terms of what solutions work for our communities in African cities.’
Present at the launch included Dr George Mwaniki,head of Air Quality at WRI, Geofrey Mosiria,Chief Officer for Environment- Nairobi County among others.
