The Nairobi City Regeneration Programme(NCRP) has embarked on improving sever lines in the capital in a project meant to restore the lives of rivers which have been in a bad state.
Most of the sewer lines that exist in Kenya's capital city were constructed 102 years ago, when the capital began taking shape.
Nairobi City has seven rivers, Nairobi, Ruiruaka, kasarani, Ngong, Gitathuru, Kamiti, and Ruiru. All the seven of them are in a bad state with their colours being black, grey, green or earthy due to pollution by solid waste, sewage, and oil.
Human waste disposal into the rivers has proven to be a challenge for quite a long time now. Residents have constructed latrines on drains through which the waste flows into the rivers.
The government has joined efforts to help solve this issue of waste drainage into rivers.
“We have focused our efforts and resources on the rehabilitation and expansion of the existing sewerage as well as the construction of new facilities to manage our waste better,” said Athi Water Chief Executive Michael Thuita.
Water and sanitation Cabinet secretary Sicily Kariuki warned Nairobi residents against bypassing the infrastructure or installing illegal connections, saying that the government will take legal action against offenders.
The government has commenced projects like the construction of ablution blocks in informal settlements and the installation and repair of manholes.
The government has constructed 15 ablution blocks in Kibera as part of its plan to construct 19 ablution blocks at Kibera.
The problem of human waste disposal has not only been established in the slum areas but also in some middle-income residential settlements in areas like Roysambu and Kasarani, where they direct wastewater from their houses into drainage systems that end up flowing into rivers.
The efforts to restore the shape of the Nairobi rivers is slowly taking shape, and for the first time looks promising.
Recently, the Nairobi Metropolitan Service (NMS) launched the expansion of sewer lines covering four hundred kilometers in Nairobi county. It was noted that Ksh 1.6 billion was set aside for the construction of the project.
Approximately 2.8 million Nairobians are expected to benefit from this project.
The project was unveiled in different populated Nairobi constituencies including Ruaka and Mwiki, Ruaka, Mwiki, Kahawa Sukari and Limuru.
