The government has issued a 48-hour evacuation notice for residents who live along a 30-metre riparian corridor in Nairobi.
Particularly, the government instructed individuals living along three major rivers Ngong, Mathare and Nairobi to migrate the area after they were listed as high-risk areas.
“In Nairobi, where the effects on people who live on riparian lands have been devastating, especially in the informal settlements along the Nairobi River, the Cabinet has directed that people living within the 30 metres riparian corridor move out within 48 hours as their lives are in harm's way," read the Cabinet Disptach in part.
The government provided that the members of the public affected by this directive will be notified by the end of the day May 1, 2024.
According to information provided by the Cabinet, the government was working to avail social housing for the evacuees.
Further, the Cabinet has mandated the Nairobi Rivers Commission and the Nairobi County Government to work with the communities living along the three main rivers in Nairobi - Mathare, Ngong and Nairobi - to create an additional 30-metre planning corridor in the future.
This corridor will be useful for the development of social housing, parks, roads and other public utilities.
The Cabinet also issued an ultimatum noting that those who failed to vacate the areas would be forcibly evacuated to ensure their safety.
In additional measures, the government also noted that they would enlist the support of law enforcement officers and the National Youth Service (NYS) to distribute relief resources and ensure a seamless evacuation process.
National Disaster Operations Centre (NDOC) will provide the coordination of government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), development partners, humanitarian organisations and other stakeholders to ensure a seamless and coherent exercise throughout the country.
The evacuees from the riparian areas will also be documented and enumerated.
This follows the predicted increase in the intensity of the rainfall that is expected to befall the country in the few coming weeks.
