Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja on Sunday revealed that a section of Nairobi residents will be relocated starting October 9.
Speaking during a Sunday Service at Deliverance Church International in Lang’ata, Nairobi County, the Governor stated the county government has put in place proactive measures ahead of the anticipated El Nino rains which will require various residents to be relocated from their homes.
Sakaja cited Wakuru and Dandora as areas where residents will have to be evacuated and moved to higher grounds.
“There are areas where we will need to move people. We are just waiting for the right time around October 9th,” he briefed President William Ruto who was in attendance.
Sakaja further revealed that a comprehensive list on all affected areas will be published in due course.
Sakaja noted that mapping of the hotspots has already been conducted in collaboration with the National Government through the Interior Ministry.
Sakaja remarked that he was aware that the relocation was likely to be met with resistance by Nairobi residents.
“We want people to know that we are doing that for their interest,” he remarked.
Sakaja did not expound if the government would offer settlement structures to the relocated Kenyans.
The Governor further implored Nairobi residents not to clog the capital’s drainage system by dumping garbage.
He noted that the County Government has employed hundreds of young Kenyans to unclog drainage systems in anticipation of the rains.
Nairobi's Chief Officer for Disaster Management and Coordination, Bramwel Simiyu, on Wednesday, September 27, announced that 436 areas in Nairobi have been identified as potential flooding hotspots.
Some of the areas identified included Kibra, Mathare, Njiru and Ruai, Mukuru and Wakuru.
The county government is expected to release a full list of areas where residents need to relocate from the identified 436 hotspots.
