Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko on Friday, November 15, came down hard on rogue officials who he accused of exacerbating the water crisis in the county.
In a post on Facebook, Sonko revealed that he was well aware of the water shortage in the county and that powerful individuals had created an artificial shortage to make a killing.
He was speaking in reference to a KTN News investigative piece in October 28, which made damning revelations that residents in several areas in Nairobi were unknowingly drinking contaminated water.
"For years on end, residents of Nairobi have suffered greatly in the hands of rogue water cartels, some operating from within the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC), private individuals and a notorious MCA who owns several boreholes as was recently exposed by KTN News," the Nairobi governor wrote.
Sonko informed that after holding a meeting with a newly constituted Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC) board, he had decided that drilling companies in the county would have to procure their own equipment as opposed to leasing.
"Instead of leasing drilling equipment at a cost of over Ksh200 million per year, I have instructed the companies to procure their own immediately, and the remaining funds to go towards expediting the drilling of more boreholes at a cheaper cost.
"The borehole water will be treated at source, pumped and connected to the existing water piping system to our estates and informal settlements during rationing hours," Sonko announced.
In a new twist, the governor also stated that he would commission the Sonko Rescue Team in conjunction with NCWSC, to supply water to the estates that had been affected by the contaminated water, for free.
"In my personal capacity as governor, I shall complement the Nairobi Water Company with the 21 Sonko Rescue Team (SRT) water bowsers for free each with the capacity of 65,000 litres per truck. All operational and maintenance costs of the trucks shall be paid by myself," Sonko intimated.
He promised to crack down on water vendors who operated stations other than those belonging to the county, and force them to sell their water to NCWSC for free distribution.
"I am determined to bring this impunity to an end, and guarantee all our residents of an adequate supply of clean and safe water, as it is their constitutional right, and the responsibility of the county government to provide this commodity," Sonko concluded.
Video of the Investigative Piece Courtesy of KTN News
