Mwakirunge

Mwakirunge is the area where the main official garbage dump is situated for Mombasa waste.

According to one of the municipal workers who manages the dump, there are around 500 people living on the site, many of whom are women and children.

Many of the people scavenge through the garbage to find food to eat, food which is mouldy, rotten and stinking. They also scavenge for items to sell such as plastic bottles, or to use for themselves such as clothes, utensils etc.

The adults build homes for themselves out of the garbage, homes which are not waterproof and often collapse during the rainy seasons. During the rainy season, the roads become extremely muddy.

As the site is in a rural area of Mombasa, drugs tend to not be as big a problem as in the city, but the illegal alcoholic drink called Minazi is heavily consumed my some of the men living on the garbage dump.

The site is also very hazardous for the children who scavenge, with broken glass and various chemicals and industrial waste dumped which can burn young hands and feet.