Benjamin Karanja sits behind a glass counter stacked with refurbished smartphones and laptops in a small electronics shop on Kimathi Street in Nairobi. His business imports close to 2,000 second hand devices each month, mostly from the United Kingdom. For many customers, the business is a lifeline and a gateway to digital inclusion. The shop serves groups such as  university students seeking affordable laptops and boda boda riders replacing cracked phones. Many of these buyers would otherwise be priced out of new electronics.

Mr Karanja started the business in 2012. Over the years, he has devised methods for managing dead stock that does not sell and faulty devices returned by customers. The shop donates unsold but functional desktops to local schools that need them. If a device cannot be repaired, technicians remove components such as screens and batteries for reuse. The objective is to repurpose as much as possible before a unit becomes waste.

Even with these strategies, he struggles to deal with electronics that remain at the end of their lifecycle. This includes batteries dating back to 2017 that have become obsolete and cannot be resold. Storage has become part of his operating costs and he refuses to dump the waste into the environment. He has attempted to research and contact e-waste management companies in Kenya but has not been successful.

According to UNEP’s 2024 E-waste Monitor Report, managing electronic waste is particularly challenging because it contains both valuable materials and hazardous substances such as lead, mercury, cadmium and brominated flame retardants, and often circulates through informal markets. This makes oversight and environmentally sound management more complex than for many other waste streams. 

The report also notes that E-waste is generally more hazardous than plastics or industrial residues because multiple toxic components are embedded within a single device. While industrial residues are typically processed within regulated facilities, e-waste frequently enters informal systems where unsafe handling can release harmful substances.

According to Ibrahim Nyakach, Chief Environment Officer at Nairobi City County, e-waste has become a growing scourge in the capital. He points to the proliferation of informal repair centres and second hand markets, which generate large volumes of discarded components that end up in regular garbage streams or informal dumpsites. 

“In urban centres such as Nairobi, informal dismantling, open burning and dumping of e-waste can expose communities to toxic emissions and contaminated soil and water. Health risks include respiratory illness, neurological damage and developmental impacts in children, while environmental impacts include soil and water contamination,” Mr Nyakach says.

UNEP estimates that global e-waste reached 62 million tonnes in 2022 and is projected to rise to 82 billion kilograms by 2030. 

“Kenya is among the higher e-waste generating countries in East Africa, reflecting its role as a regional hub for digital services, mobile connectivity and technology-driven growth. While total volumes remain lower than those of some larger African economies, the rate of increase has been notable, driven by rapid digitalisation, shorter device lifespans and rising imports of used electrical and electronic equipment,” says Alex Mangwiro, Regional Coordinator for Chemicals, Waste and Air Quality at UNEP and Programme Management Officer at the Bamako Convention Secretariat.

Mr Mangwiro notes that the Bamako Convention has been important in establishing a clear regional position that Africa should not be a destination for hazardous waste, including e-waste. Its impact has been most visible where Parties have incorporated its provisions into national law. 

Kenya, however, has not ratified the Convention, which would strengthen the country’s e-waste management framework by adding a clear, legally binding regional prohibition on the import of hazardous waste into Africa, including hazardous components of e-waste.

“Ratification would reinforce Kenya’s ability to prevent the entry of non-functional or near end-of-life electronics that are often misdeclared as reusable goods, complementing existing national regulations and global obligations under the Basel Convention. It would also enhance access to regional cooperation mechanisms, including the Convention’s reporting and information-sharing arrangements, which support early warning, coordinated responses to illegal shipments and peer learning among African States,” Mr Mangwiro explains.

Even so, Kenya has been implementing local measures to combat the growing challenge. The country has developed e-waste guidelines, strengthened institutional coordination through national authorities and engaged with producer responsibility approaches and licensed recyclers. 

The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has formulated draft regulations on the importation of electronics. Among the proposals is a ban on importing second hand electronics older than 12 years, alongside requirements for importers to declare product age, functionality and remaining lifespan. If adopted, these measures would introduce extended producer and importer responsibility for safe collection and disposal, reduce the inflow of products that quickly convert into hazardous e-waste and strengthen compliance with the Convention’s goals.

Benjamin’s shop illustrates the policy tension at the heart of Kenya’s electronics market. Second hand imports expand digital access for thousands who would otherwise be excluded, yet the same affordability model produces waste streams the country is still struggling to safely manage.

 “Small traders, refurbishers and repair shops play an important role in extending product lifespans and supporting digital inclusion. In several countries, authorities have worked with these actors through licensing, training and inclusion in national collection or take back schemes rather than excluding them from the system. When combined with producer responsibility frameworks and access to safer recycling infrastructure, this approach has reduced hazardous practices while preserving livelihoods and affordability,” Mr Mangwiro concludes.