Nairobi County Instructs People Visiting These Areas to Wear Masks

Nairobi County’s Chief Environment Officer, Geoffrey Mosira, has urged residents accessing the CBD, Woodley in Kibra, and the Juja Road, to wear facemasks over the high levels of air pollution in the areas.
In a statement on his official X account on Thursday, September 4, Mosiria revealed that air quality monitoring machines mounted in these locations have detected air pollution levels beyond unsafe limits, cautioning that this could increase respiratory diseases.
Prolonged exposure to polluted air can cause several respiratory diseases, including Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Bronchitis, Pneumonia, and Emphysema, among others.
Mosira has further assured that the county government has dispatched teams of experts in these areas to determine the exact cause of air pollution and take immediate action.
“Woodley in Kibra, their air is polluted, as well as  Juja Road, Mlango Kubwa ward, and the fire station CBD. We want to urge all Kenyans who are going to these areas to ensure that they wear a mask because the quality of air in these areas is not healthy for human consumption,” Mosiria said.
Additionally, Mosiria has further urged Nairobi residents to visit the Nairobi County website to check the quality of the area across the city.
So far, according to Mosiria, the county government has received 87 air quality monitoring machines to help the county government and the residents keep an eye on the city’s air quality.
“You can check the quality of air we breathe in Nairobi through the official Nairobi County website. So far, we have installed 87 air quality monitoring machines across different parts of the city to help us track and improve the air we breathe,” Mosiria said.
“We encourage all Nairobi residents to regularly check and monitor air quality levels and take necessary precautions. By doing so, we can protect ourselves and reduce the risk of many respiratory diseases,” he added.
Theair quality in the majority of parts of the country’s capital is often poor. Just recently, in August, Nairobi was ranked as the second most air-polluted city in the world, by IQAir, just behind Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Vehicle emissions, industrial operations, and open burning of waste across the city are the primary contributors to the deteriorating air quality, according to experts.
According to Mosiria, the county government is also in theprocess of issuing warning notices to establishmentsthat are polluting the air around vital premises such as hospitals.