Inside Our Second Training Round with Ruiru Waste Pickers
When we talk about waste management in Kenya, we rarely start where we should, with the people whose hands do the hardest work. The waste pickers. The ones who show up every morning to sort, collect and salvage what others discard. Through the Organic Rebirth Project, KEAN International is changing that narrative, one training session at a time.
In April 2026, we held our second round of capacity-building training with waste pickers in Ruiru, Kiambu County. What followed was a day of honest conversation, practical skill-building, and a shared vision for what dignified livelihoods in waste management can look like.
Why this training matters
One of the most persistent gaps in organic waste management is the on-demand engagement of waste workers, their involvement tied entirely to fertilizer producers’ needs. When producers don’t show up, organic waste is simply washed away. The Organic Rebirth Project exists to break that dependency, equipping waste workers to compost independently and build their own markets.
Sharpening technical skills at the composting hub
With composting hubs now operational, our focus has shifted to technical excellence. Participants received hands-on training in diagnosing and fixing common compost problems from compost that is too wet or too dry, to managing odors and slow decomposition. The session covered quality assurance fundamentals including moisture monitoring, turning schedules and proper curing techniques.
Equally important was record keeping: tracking waste received, compost outputs, and sales. These are not bureaucratic exercises, they are the building blocks of a credible, scalable enterprise.
From production to profitability
KEAN’s Executive Director, Meya Robert, led a session on viewing compost as a business, a mindset shift that is as important as any technical skill. The conversation was grounded and practical:
- Understanding real costs; labor, transport and packaging
- Setting fair and competitive prices for organic fertilizer
- Identifying local buyers including farmers, schools, and tree nurseries
- Basic negotiation and advocacy for organic over chemical fertilizer
- Branding basics and group savings strategies
- Diversification; mobile savings, poultry, pig farming or a car wash venture to build financial resilience
The goal is not just survival income, it is a dignified livelihood that reflects the real value waste pickers contribute to our communities and our soils.
“When we are talking about waste, we are not just talking about trash. We are talking about power. We are talking about who benefits and who suffers.”
— Kelvin Bidanya, Programs Director, KEAN International
Environmental justice: the bigger picture
Programs Director Kelvin Bidanya anchored the day’s learning in a wider frame: environmental justice. His central question is one we must all sit with. Why is it always low-income communities and informal workers who bear the heaviest burden of pollution?
Environmental justice, he argued, means no community suffers disproportionate pollution simply because they are poor. It means informal workers are not excluded by the very systems designed to manage waste. And crucially, it means that those most affected by waste; the pickers themselves, must be at the decision-making table.
Kelvin also drew a direct line between composting and the Sustainable Development Goals, connecting waste pickers’ daily work to SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 3 (Good Health), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption), SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 15 (Life on Land), and SDG 17 (Partnerships). The message was clear: when we compost, we are not just managing waste, we are reducing inequality, restoring soils and acting on climate.
Telling your own story
One of the day’s most energizing sessions came from Chris of Prince Network Limited, who introduced participants to the art of impact storytelling. With digital uptake rising across Kenya, Chris made a compelling case: waste workers must tell their own stories.
Using nothing more than a smartphone and a social media page, waste pickers can share their experiences;structured around data, personal narrative, and evidence, to shift public perception and advocate for policy change. In a sector where their contributions are consistently overlooked, visibility is power.
Spotlight: women in waste management
With the training falling in the season of International Women’s Day 2026, we took time to acknowledge what the data and our own fieldwork confirm: women’s contributions to waste management in Kenya are enormous and largely invisible. The sector is dominated by men, and women face stigma, inadequate protective equipment, limited training opportunities, and no collective bargaining power.
Through the Organic Rebirth Project, we are witnessing a meaningful shift. Women waste pickers are turning organic matter into nutrient-rich compost that supports regenerative agriculture and strengthens local food systems. Their work is climate action. It is environmental justice. It deserves recognition and structural support, not just on Women’s Day, but in policy, in practice, and in pay.
We are grateful to UMI Fund and Social Change Nest for their support of this youth-led initiative that centers dignity and inclusion for all waste workers.
What a just transition looks like
Moving to a greener economy cannot leave people behind. A just transition means safeguarding livelihoods, recognizing informal workers, improving working conditions, and creating green jobs locally. Waste workers are not a problem to be replaced by incinerators, they are essential partners in Kenya’s circular economy future. Composting hubs are not small projects. They are the just transition, at scale.
What comes next
The training in Ruiru is one step in a longer journey. As KEAN International continues walking alongside waste pickers in Ruiru and Kikuyu, we remain committed to a model of support that is technical, political and human, one that sees waste pickers not as a social problem, but as climate solution-makers, entrepreneurs, and community leaders.
Because when communities lead, solutions become sustainable.
