On Tuesday, April 18, several car wash businesses were shut down following a joint crackdown by the Ministry of Water, the Water Police Unit, and the Nairobi Water Company.
Nairobi Water Managing Director Engineer Nahashon Muguna confirmed that the water supply to the car washes was disconnected.
Muguna explained that the government had banned the use of piped water for the business.
"We will disconnect all car washes with or without metered connections because we have a shortage of water in the city," he stated.
Muguna declared that no car wash will be allowed to operate in the country unless they have access to borehole water.
"Vehicles should be cleaned in petrol stations or make use of borehole water. Water is only available for consumption, not for cleaning vehicles," he reiterated.
Muguna confirmed that the operation would spread out to the rest of the country once normalcy is restored in the capital city.
"In Nairobi, we lose 44 per cent of the water we produce through such illegalities. The Water Police Unit will assist us that ensuring the implementation of the new policies," Muguna reiterated.
During the sting operation, several business owners and car wash attendants were nabbed in Ngara and South B estates.
On January 30, the Water Infrastructure Police Unit was established to curb vandalism of critical water assets and curb non-revenue water across the country.
The unit was formed in line with Gazette Notice No. 1043 of January 31, 2022, where water was designated as a critical service.
Moreover, systems supporting water storage, water distribution, water quality assurance, wastewater collection, and treatment were designated as part of the critical information infrastructure.
