Spokesperson Mwaura defends CS Duale amid backlash over comments on middle-class Kenyans

Mwaura clarified that Duale’s remarks, made during the COP29 summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, had been taken out of context.

During his speech at the summit, Duale cited Kenya's middle class as a major source of pollution in Nairobi, particularly pollution of the Nairobi River.

He contrasted this with those in informal settlements, praising them for their innovative waste management practices, which he described as environmentally conscious.

“Informal settlers are not the ones polluting the Nairobi River. It is the middle class who pollutes it because they have garbage."

"Those in the informal settlements don’t have garbage because they eat everything,” Duale told the summit stakeholders.

The comments, however, elicited immediate online reactions, with some Kenyans labelling Duale's remarks as disparaging to lower-income communities.

In response, Mwaura stated that the minister's intention was to recognise the resourcefulness of informal settlements in waste management and to encourage the middle class to adopt similar practices.

“The comment by Environment CS Aden Duale has been blown out of proportion,” Mwaura stated. “What he meant is that Kenyans living in informal settlements have mastered the art of recycling and reusing waste materials creatively. The government encourages the middle class and all Kenyans to do the same.”

Mwaura emphasized that Duale’s comments aimed to inspire sustainable waste management practices across all social classes, not to disparage any group.