The initiative, drawn up by UNEP in cooperation with the Kenyan government, the Nairobi city council, donors and the Nairobi-based UN Human Settlements Program, will work in conjunction with the government's Nairobi Metro 2030: A Vision for a World-Class Metropolis plan.

"We are determined, through a combination of financial, scientific and technical support to explore how best to assist in the transformation of Nairobi into a vibrant, healthy and functioning capital city in the 21st century," said UNEP ExecutiveDirector Achim Steiner.

Among other goals, UNEP will assist the municipal government in finding a new site for the 30-acre Dandora dumping site, which currently receives 2,000 tons of rubbish every day, to a new 200-acre modern sanitary landfill site.

Dandora is a major health hazard for people living and working nearby and a key source of pollution into the Nairobi River.

Another source of pollution into the river is the Dagoretti Slaughterhouse that processes more than 400 animals a day.

Under the new initiative, waste in the slaughterhouse will instead be used to fuel a biogas power plant, whose output has been estimated to have the potential of generating enough off-gridelectricity for more than 1,000 homes in the surrounding areas.