Editor's Review

Jalang'o has spoken on claims he filed a petition in court seeking to stop the operations of the Nairobi Green Army.

Lang’ata MP Phelix Odiwuor, popularly known as Jalang’o, has denied allegations that he filed a petition in court seeking to stop the operations of the Nairobi Green Army. 

In a statement on Thursday, May 29, the MP labeled the claims as fake news, clarifying that no such petition exists and that he fully supports the work of the Green Army.

"Fake news. I’ve never filed any petition. No court case exists. I support the Green Army; they should earn Ksh30,000 and be permanent and pensionable," he wrote on X.

The statement was accompanied by screenshots of alleged court documents and a fabricated news headline bearing the claims.

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File image of Phelix Odiwuor alias Jalang'o

The Nairobi Green Army was launched to address the city’s persistent waste management and environmental challenges. 

Comprising over 3,500 youth, the Green Army is tasked with cleaning streets, unclogging drainage systems, and maintaining public spaces across Nairobi.

Governor Johnson Sakaja said the Green Army is part of a broader strategy to modernize Nairobi’s waste management infrastructure.

“Solid waste management is a major challenge in urban areas. In Nairobi, garbage collection has become a commercial enterprise where people are paid based on the weight of trash collected, not on how clean the area is. That needs to change," he said.

Despite its ambitious goals, the Green Army initiative faces several challenges. 

Critics, including Kileleshwa MCA Robert Alai, have raised concerns about the legality and transparency of establishing the Green Nairobi Company without adequate consultation with the county assembly.

"What Sakaja is doing is bad because he is ignoring county assembly in all these. He has not appraised us on his new initiative of establishing the so-called green company. This is how he mishandled the Dishi na County thing.

He must learn to work with the county assembly as a way of checks and balances,” he said.

However, Sakaja has defended the initiative, emphasizing its public ownership and the necessity of reforming Nairobi’s waste management systems. 

"This is a public company, held in trust by the people. I’m not foolish enough to create a company to make money. Just like Dishi na County is feeding children, Green Nairobi will clean our city," he noted.