The Ministry of Water announced a nationwide crackdown on illegal water connections in the country, beginning with Nairobi estates, including Embakasi, Kariobangi, and Kibira.
Speaking on Thursday, February 16, Principal Secretary Paul Ronoh stated that under an operation dubbed 'Linda maji, Lipa maji’ the ministry was determined to nub every individual involved in the vandalism of water infrastructure.
The PS stated that the operation was meant to fix all the leaking pipes in town centres and rural areas to address the issue of wrong and faulty metres.
“According to our data, out of 360,000 customers in Nairobi connected with treated piped water, only 250,000 pay for the water provided.
“The rest of the residents, close to 100,000 are not paying for the water they are using,” PS Ronoh stated.
Moreover, the PS revealed that the government loses up to Ksh10 billion annually due to non-revenue generating connections.
He added that Nairobi loses up to 300 cubic meters daily due to leakages and illegal connections.
"The government has invested nearly Ksh1 trillion in water infrastructure, but we are losing nearly Ksh10 billion on non-revenue water," he explained.
In addition, the PS warned that the ministry would use the newly formed police unit known as the Water Protection Unit (WPU) to enforce its policies.
“Those found doing illegal connections will be met by the full force of the law,” Ronoh warned.
The new police unit was launched in January 2023, to stop criminal activities affecting critical water infrastructure because of the huge losses the government was making due to an increase in cases of vandalism, illegal connections, and corruption across the country.
"After consultation with the Ministry of Water and the National Police Service (NPS), it was determined that there was a need to provide armed security and protection to critical water facilities,” Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki stated during the launch.
