We all love Kenyan cuisine. From crispy chapati and golden mandazi to spicy mishkaki and deep-fried samosas, oil is the heart of our flavour. But once the cooking is done, we are often left with a greasy, messy question: What do I do with this used oil?
For many of us, the instinct is simple: wait for it to cool, then pour it down the kitchen sink or into the ploti (rubbish pit) behind the house. But in Kenya, where our drainage systems, soil health, and even our livestock are affected by these habits, it’s time to adopt better practices.
Here is your practical guide to handling and disposing of used cooking oil—safely, cleanly, and even profitably.
The Problem with “Just Pouring It Away”
Before we talk solutions, let’s understand why that madoa (stain) on the driveway or the oily sheen in the drain is bad news:
- Clogged Drains & Nairobi’s Floods: When hot oil cools in your pipes, it solidifies. Over time, it mixes with soap and food scraps to form “fatbergs”—huge, concrete-like blockages. This is a major contributor to drain overflows and flash floods in estates and town centres.
- Killing Aquatic Life: If oil seeps into storm drains that flow into the Nairobi River, Athi River, or Lake Naivasha, it creates a film on the water surface. This blocks oxygen, suffocating fish and frogs.
- Bad for Soil: Pouring oil on bare soil repels water, creates a crust, and kills beneficial microbes. Your sukuma wiki won’t like that.
- Attracting Pests: Old oil poured in rubbish bins smells rancid, attracting rats, cockroaches, and stray dogs.
The Golden Rules of Handling Used Oil
Before you dispose of it, you need to handle it correctly.
- Cool down completely. Never handle hot oil. Wait at least 30 minutes after cooking.
- Strain out food bits. Use a chafu (sieve) or a piece of leso (cotton cloth) to remove unga (flour) bits, KFC coating, or viungo (spices). Clean oil is easier to recycle.
- Store in a sealed container. Use an old plastic bottle (like a 2L soda or water bottle), a glass jar, or a metal tin. Keep a dedicated container under your sink.
Creative Reuse: Give It a Second Life
Not all used oil needs to be thrown away. You can reuse it 2-3 times depending on what you fried.
- For frying again: If you fried chips (clean oil), you can reuse it for mandazi. But if you fried fish, the flavour carries over—keep that for savoury items only.
- Make soap (for the brave): Traditional Kenyan sabuni (soap) can be made using used oil, caustic soda (sodium hydroxide), and water. This is a great small business idea for youth groups.
- Grease for gates & tools: Apply a thin layer to squeaky hinges, padlocks, or garden tools to prevent rust.
The Best Solution: Recycling & Disposal in Kenya
Here is the good news: Kenya now has a growing used cooking oil recycling industry. Instead of dumping it, you can send it away to be turned into biodiesel, industrial lubricants, or soap.
Option 1: Take it to a Collection Point
Several companies in Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kisumu are collecting used cooking oil:
- EcoFuels Kenya: They convert used oil into biodiesel. They have drop-off points at various malls (like Junction, Two Rivers) and partner with hotels.
- Kepco (Kenya Petroleum Refineries): They accept large volumes (for hotels, choma joints, schools).
- Local waste management companies: Companies like TakaTaka Solutions and Mr. Green Africa sometimes include oil in their recycling programmes.
Option 2: Call a Garbage Sweeper or Recycler
If you run a kibandaski (food kiosk), hoteli ya kienyeji (local eatery), or a household generating litres of oil, you can negotiate with a local recycler. Search for “used cooking oil collection Nairobi” on Facebook Marketplace or WhatsApp groups.
Option 3: The Solid Waste Route (as a last resort)
If you absolutely cannot recycle, never pour liquid oil into your dustbin. Instead:
- Mix the oil with an absorbent material like mchanga (sand), old magunia (sacks), or makaratasi (newspapers).
- Let it solidify.
- Then wrap it in a newspaper and put it in the dustbin.
Do not give liquid oil to wapiga debe (the scrap metal collectors) or watakataka (informal waste pickers), as it spills and ruins their work.
A Special Note for Food Businesses
If you run a hoteli, chips joint, or smokie stand, you are a major generator. It is actually illegal in Kenya to pour used cooking oil into public drains or sewers (NEMA regulations). You are required to dispose of trade waste responsibly.
- Invest in a grease trap. A simple concrete or plastic trap outside your kitchen stops oil from entering the main sewer.
- Sign a collection agreement. Many recyclers now offer free collection for bulk oil because they make money turning it into fuel.
Final Takeaway: Show Your Oil Some Respect
Tupatane tena—next time you finish frying those bhajias or viazi karai, remember: that dark, smelly oil isn’t rubbish. It’s a resource.
By keeping it out of the sink and sending it for recycling, you are keeping Kenya’s rivers clean, our drains flowing, and supporting local green energy. Let’s stop the pour, and start the recycle.
Have tips of your own? Drop them in the comments below. And if you know a local oil recycler in your town, share their contact!
Informative as always
Let’s preserve the environment for the next generation. Great piece. We are well informed. Thank you.