Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, on Friday, March 24, announced a 21-day programme to address increased flooding in estates within the capital occasioned by the heavy rains.
In a statement, the governor revealed that the county government was set to employ more casual labourers tasked with clearing various drainages and manholes.
He reiterated that the increased flooding had been occasioned by illegal dumping that had been done in the drainages.
"The county has this week put in place additional measures to ease movement and address some of the issues witnessed the past two days, especially impassable roads due to flooding.
"We have bolstered efforts by rolling out a 21-day program that will see more casual labourers hired to assist with desilting drainages and manholes, and carting away deposited materials across all 85 wards in the County," read the statement in part.
Additionally, he indicated that culverts would be installed across 25 wards in the county to help in the flow of water that was spilling on major roads across the city.
Regarding the floods witnessed across several roads, Sakaja revealed that he would be partnering with the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) and the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) in dealing with the menace.
Measures set by the county government will be complemented by directives issued by Transport Cabinet Secretary, Kipchumba Murkomen, on clearing the drainage along the roads.
However, he noted that city residents had contributed to the menace, further, urging them to exercise caution when disposing of litter.
“A lot of work has been done including unclogging and clearing drainages before the rains began. We are doubling our efforts by deploying more resources across all sub-counties. I call on residents of Nairobi to also play their part and put a stop to illegal dumping.
“We ask for the cooperation of residents to heed calls by disaster mitigation teams and to exercise caution. We remain committed to continue undertaking surveillance and ask residents to reach out in case of an emergency," Sakaja stated.
County residents were also urged to reach out to the disaster team in case of any emergencies through +254 20 2344599 or +254 20 2222181.
