A snippet from Role of Industries in Air Quality Dissemination and Adoption: A Case of Sameer Business Park – presentation delivered at the Science-Policy Practitioners Dialogue, Nairobi, July 21, 2025.
What would you do if your tenants complained about a foul smell that lingered for weeks, without explanation, without relief?
For many industrial managers, this would be a public relations problem or a maintenance issue. But at Sameer Business Park in Nairobi, it became something more: a turning point.
When the smell didn’t fade, the park didn’t wait.
Instead, it responded with investigation, escalation, and ultimately innovation, transforming a localized nuisance into a model for sustainable air quality management in industrial zones.
This was the central message of a presentation titled “Role of Industries in Air Quality Dissemination and Adoption: A Case of Sameer Business Park,” delivered during the Science-Policy Practitioners Dialogue held in Nairobi on July 21, 2025.
The case study illustrated the critical but often underexplored role that industrial players can play in strengthening urban air quality systems, particularly when they adopt real-time data, institutional partnerships, and transparent practices.
It also spoke to the broader need for real-time monitoring, institutional accountability, and multi-stakeholder partnerships in tackling pollution.
Sameer’s journey from crisis to reform offers lessons for cities, regulators, and industrial players across Africa and beyond.
The Industrial Air Quality Challenge
Air pollution in cities like Nairobi stems from multiple sources—manufacturing, transportation, and energy use.
But industrial zones, often located adjacent to residential and commercial areas, play a significant role.
The emissions they generate do not remain within factory walls; they spill into surrounding communities, affecting workers, visitors, and residents alike.
Industries, therefore, hold a dual role: they are contributors to pollution but also key to the solution.
They possess the infrastructure, capital, and technical capacity to adopt cleaner production methods, monitor environmental data, and partner in regional pollution response systems.
The Sameer Business Park case demonstrates how this duality can be navigated in practice.
Tracing the Source of the Problem
According to the presentation, persistent reports of foul smells at Sameer Business Park triggered a management-level inquiry.
Complaints were not limited to discomfort—they raised legitimate concerns about health, hygiene, and operational integrity.
Yet identifying the precise cause of pollution in a multi-tenant complex is far from simple.
With numerous industries operating within the park, initial suspicions ranged from effluent mishandling to gaseous emissions.
An internal investigation was launched to monitor the situation and trace the source.
The problem was eventually linked to a specific tenant whose effluent discharge system was found to be inefficient.
The matter was escalated to regulatory authorities, specifically the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and Nairobi County Government, which led to enforcement action and a complete redesign of the effluent discharge system.
This initial resolution, however, raised a larger question: How can such issues be prevented before they escalate?
Building a Data-Driven Response
Sameer Business Park recognized that reactive enforcement was insufficient.
In response, it pursued a proactive, systems-level solution by entering into a partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI).
This collaboration focused on implementing real-time air quality monitoring using sensor technology across the business park.
The sensors collect and transmit real-time environmental data, enabling faster detection of anomalies, early alerts for emission spikes, and timely interventions.
As outlined in the presentation, “You cannot manage what you cannot measure.”
The deployment of technology moved the park from crisis response to environmental forecasting—a critical shift in how industrial air quality is managed.
The results were immediate and actionable: real-time visibility helped pinpoint emission patterns, made it easier to isolate potential violators, and ensured that corrective actions could be taken before problems escalated.
Making Data Public: Transparency as a Tool
One of the defining features of the Sameer approach is its commitment to open data.
Instead of treating air quality readings as internal, confidential information, the park shares its findings with public institutions and regional platforms.
This supports broader early warning systems and enables government agencies to monitor pollution trends across Nairobi more effectively.
This approach is aligned with Kenya’s National Framework for Climate Services and the global Early Warning for All initiative, which both advocate for localized, real-time data as a cornerstone of environmental resilience and public health protection.
Open data also builds trust.
By making pollution information accessible, Sameer has strengthened relationships with regulators, tenants, and the public.
Transparency enhances accountability—and in this case, it turned air quality from a hidden risk into a shared concern.
Lessons from the Sameer Model
Several practical lessons emerged from the presentation:
- Technology enhances accountability: Real-time sensors enable precise, traceable, and timely responses to pollution events.
- Collaboration accelerates progress: The partnership with UNEP and SEI provided technical expertise and institutional credibility.
- Transparency builds trust: Open data sharing fosters public engagement and reinforces regulatory compliance.
- Proactive management works: By integrating air quality into daily operations, industrial parks can identify problems before they escalate.
These lessons point to a clear shift: from reactive, event-driven responses to preventive, systems-based environmental governance.
Toward a Cleaner Industrial Ecosystem
The presentation concluded with a set of recommendations designed to help other industrial hubs replicate and scale the Sameer approach:
- Integrate air quality monitoring into industrial management plans
Monitoring should not be an afterthought. It must be embedded into the operating procedures of industrial parks and factories from the outset. - Share data openly to support regional early warning systems
Transparency is not just good governance—it is good public health practice. Real-time data helps agencies act faster and more effectively. - Adopt the best available technologies to minimize emissions
Pollution control must begin at the source. Industries should upgrade to cleaner, more efficient technologies and production methods. - Establish an industry-led air quality consortium
A coordinated network can help harmonize standards, share best practices, and create a unified voice advocating for sustainable industrial development.
This proposed consortium would bring together industrial actors committed to environmental improvement.
By working collectively, industries can avoid duplication, improve compliance, and co-create standards that support Kenya’s broader air quality goals.
A Scalable Model for Cities and Regions
Sameer Business Park’s experience is specific, but its insights are widely applicable.
As cities across Africa face rising levels of industrial activity and air pollution, the need for smarter, more collaborative approaches becomes urgent.
The Sameer model demonstrates that with the right partnerships, transparent monitoring, and a commitment to systems change, even the most complex industrial environments can become part of the solution.
Rather than waiting for regulatory penalties or public outcry, Sameer took the initiative.
The result was not just cleaner air—it was a new institutional posture: one that treats environmental management as integral to business success.
Looking ahead
The Sameer Business Park presentation at the July 21 Science-Policy Practitioners Dialogue offers more than a case study—it provides a strategic framework.
It shows how a single incident, when handled with foresight and responsibility, can lead to system-wide reform.
It also highlights the vital role that industries can and must play in achieving air quality goals in urban environments.
As pollution remains a growing threat to public health and climate stability, models like Sameer’s are not just commendable, they are necessary. The next step is scale.
Source: Role of Industries in Air Quality Dissemination and Adoption: A Case of Sameer Business Park – presentation delivered at the Science-Policy Practitioners Dialogue, Nairobi, July 21, 2025.
