The Air Pollution Menace: A Case Study of Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

Air pollution is as widespread as the air we breathe, and this has had adverse impacts on the unsuspecting citizens living within environmentally dangerous conditions. This research gave an insight into the geoscience/earth science, geography, and more specifically the environmental-health discipline focusing on air pollution by examining the publics' understanding of air pollution and their beliefs as to the causes, effects, and possible solutions to mitigate the silent killer, air pollution. The urban centers face this problem at a higher rate hence the selection of Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, with a target population of 3,138,369 and a randomly sampled population of 350 people participating in the research. The data collection methods primarily utilized were interviews and closed questionnaires. Data analysis was through the use of mean and percentages. Based on the findings, the perceived causes of air pollution are industrialization, residential congestion, the high rate of vehicle utilization, and unmanaged dumping sites. The majority of the respondents (57.1%) believed that air pollution can lead to global warming and climate change as well as cause health problems. The research concluded that the solution to the air pollution problem lies in the hands of the government and the people through collaboration with the relevant NGOs and the environmentalists. Amongst the recommendations is that the government should expand the knowledge base on the impact of air pollution and give possible ways to avoid polluting the air. If the suggested remedies are employed in Nairobi-Kenya and globally, air pollution, the latest killer lurking within us preying on both the old and young, will be a thing of the past thus having a whole working globe through the achievement of pollution-free planet Earth.

Please cite this contribution as follows:

Mugambi, N.K.B. (2021). The air pollution menace: a case atudy of Nairobi, Kenya, "forsch!" - Studentisches Online-Journal der Universität Oldenburg, 1, 114-123.

https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:101:1-2022011413575655427875