James Kitavi had once imagined a conventional path in engineering. A graduate of the University of Nairobi’s School of Engineering, he entered the job market with expectations that his qualifications would open doors into established firms.
When those opportunities failed to materialise, he was compelled to reconsider his path at a time when many of his peers were moving into structured corporate roles. A chance conversation with his lecturer introduced him to an unexpected opening in the waste management sector—an opportunity that would ultimately define his career.
For years, Kitavi has observed both the consequences of poor waste management and the potential of more responsible practices. His early exposure to Nairobi’s informal settlements, particularly Kariobangi and Dandora, proved formative and left a lasting impression on him.
“I had never considered waste in that way, but in those places, you begin to see just how thin the line is between the waste itself and the people who depend on it for survival,” he says.
That insight later informed his decision to establish Kiseki Limited in 2023, a social enterprise focused on waste recovery and reuse. The company operates across multiple waste streams, including glass, wood, and organic material, and employs more than 150 people directly, with hundreds more benefiting indirectly from the glass value chain.
The path to establishing the business was far from straightforward. Like many enterprises in the sector, Kitavi says he faced significant capital constraints at inception.
Kiseki Limited founder and CEO, James Kitavi, at the company’s factory in Maanzoni, Athiriver, Machakos County on April 2, 2026.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Group
“Waste management, despite its social and environmental importance, is a capital-intensive industry. It requires investment in collection infrastructure, processing facilities, transport logistics and skilled labour—costs that can be prohibitive for new entrants,” he notes.
Securing financing was one of the earliest hurdles. Traditional lenders were often hesitant to extend credit to a business model that did not fit conventional industrial frameworks. The perceived risks associated with waste, coupled with the relatively low margins in recycling, made it difficult to attract investment from mainstream financial institutions.
In the early stages, he relied on personal savings. Equipment was acquired in phases, and operations expanded gradually as revenue streams stabilised. Strategic partnerships later became critical in bridging the financing gap, particularly collaborations with organisations that recognised the long-term value of sustainable waste management.
Operational challenges also shaped the company’s early years, as establishing a consistent supply of raw materials required building trust within informal collection networks.
“Many of these networks operate on thin margins, with waste pickers and small-scale collectors forming the backbone of the system,” he says, adding that integrating these groups into a more structured value chain required both financial incentives and sustained engagement.
Over time, Kiseki has developed a system that formalises aspects of this informal economy, providing more stable income opportunities while improving efficiency in collection and sorting. This has enabled the company to scale its operations while maintaining strong ties with the communities in which it operates.
The company’s operations are centred largely on glass, with discarded bottles collected, processed, and reintroduced into the economy as reusable packaging and consumer glass products such as lighting fixtures, tableware, and construction materials.
Bottles are cut and polished to create sustainable drinking glasses at Kiseki Limited in Maanzoni, Machakos County, on April 2, 2026.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Group
Reclaimed bottles are supplied to beverage manufacturers, with the enterprise handling more than 100,000 glass units daily. The operation supports alternative livelihoods for individuals previously dependent on informal dumpsite work. Beyond recovery and reuse, the company has taken steps to curb the circulation of counterfeit goods by removing branded packaging from informal markets and working with manufacturers to ensure such materials are reintegrated into legitimate production cycles.
As interest in sustainable business practices grows within the private sector, such efforts have opened the door to strategic partnerships. Kenya Breweries Limited has partnered with the company to support the collection and reuse of bottles distributed to retail outlets. The partnership has provided Kiseki with consistent demand and a stable revenue base, while enabling the brewer to cut costs through bottle reuse.
He explains that the company processes collected glass and returns it to the brewery under the initiative known as Project Rudisha, which centres on a returnable glass model aimed at reducing reliance on single-use packaging.
The process begins with the removal of seals, followed by washing to get rid of residue and adhesive materials. Each bottle is then inspected along the value chain to ensure it remains intact and meets the required standards for reuse.
“This level of scrutiny is necessary to maintain quality and ensure that recycled bottles meet industry standards, particularly for manufacturers who rely on consistency in packaging,” he says.
Not all materials, however, are suitable for reuse in their original form. Bottles that are damaged during handling are repurposed into alternative products, including drinking glasses, vases, bulb holders and ashtrays.
These items are then reintroduced into the market, with prices ranging between Sh100 and Sh1,000.
The firm has also expanded its operations into the construction sector. “Through the crushing of glass into sand, we offer an alternative to conventional sand harvesting, a practice that has been linked to environmental degradation and the depletion of natural riverbeds,” he says.
The use of processed glass as a substitute material has environmental and economic implications. It reduces pressure on natural resources while providing a viable input for construction applications. However, scaling this segment of the business has required further investment in specialised machinery and technical expertise, given the capital requirements associated with such operations.
Despite these challenges, Kitavi remains intent on scaling the company’s impact. He emphasises that the success of waste management enterprises depends not only on operational efficiency, but also on industry collaboration and access to financing. There is also growing recognition of the role waste management plays in urban development. As cities expand and consumption patterns change, the volume of waste generated continues to increase.
“Without effective systems in place, this can place significant strain on infrastructure and public health,” he says, adding that they occupy a critical space between formal and informal systems, bridging gaps in collection, processing and reuse. This points to the potential for circular economy practices to transform waste from a liability into a resource.
Notably, Kiseki Limited is developing a waste management application to serve both domestic and commercial clients.
“The platform will feature designated waste drop-off points at malls and other strategic locations, improving the accessibility and efficiency of collection services,” he says, adding that it will streamline coordination between users and collectors and support more structured waste handling across urban areas.
Wider adoption of such solutions, he notes, will ultimately hinge on supportive policy frameworks and increased investment in waste infrastructure.
