The Ministry of Water and Sanitation announced a 100-day crackdown targeting Nairobi landlords and business owners with illegal connections.
The operation known as Linda Maji Lipa Maji will be carried out in different estates within the city before cascading to the counties.
Among the areas earmarked for the clampdown included Kasarani, Mwiki, Huruma, Kariobangi, Kayole and Mathare.
Others were Imara Daima, Githurai, Zimmerman, Dandora, Umoja, Pipeline, Buruburu and Donholm.
Justifying the operation, Water and Sanitation Principal Secretary Paul Rono revealed that the water was lost due to illegal connections.
Nairobi, he stated, gets 560,000 meters cubic of water, out of which half is lost through illegal connections.
"We have launched this operation, and we want to make sure that all the illegal connections in Nairobi and the rest of the country are disconnected," Rono stated.
He further insisted that landlords and business owners with illegal connections would be prosecuted if found liable.
On Monday, March 6, the operation saw business owners apprehended and the apartment water supply cut.
"PS Water and Sanitation Paul Rono led the Water Police Unit (WPU) to nab perpetrators of the illegal water connection in Kariobangi at the slaughterhouse for goat meat," The Ministry of Water and Sanitation stated on Tuesday, March 7.
"The perpetrators of NRW will appear in court to answer charges of vandalism and illegal water connections," the ministry added.
Rono insisted that the operation targets over 100,000 illegal connections in the city.
To tackle the issue of illegal connections, the Water Services Regulatory Board (WASREB) announced that all water vendors will be required to obtain permits by February 28.
The water regulator indicated that the directive will apply to various water vending systems, including water kiosks, water tankers, hand or donkey-drawn carts, water points, and private boreholes.
