Kisumu Water and Sewerage Company (KIWASCO) has announced that at least 80 houses in Kisumu County that are built on sewer lines and road reserves will be demolished.
Owners of the buildings, which are mostly located in Gudka, Manyatta and Migosi estates are protesting the decision as they maintain they had all the necessary approvals prior to construction.
The move came as part of a larger crackdown on unplanned structures.
[caption caption="Governor Anyang' Nyong'o"]
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KIWASCO divulged that its investigations had shown the buildings were a serious health hazard to area residents as sewage would flow into the estates whenever blockages occur.
It was revealed that when the sewer lines burst, raw sewage can even flow into living rooms.
The company further highlighted that in some cases, manholes were located inside the buildings.
The structures, therefore, make it difficult for their engineers to access sewer lines for maintenance or repair.
"This is a big challenge to our line engineers who from time to time have to seek permission from tenants to access their premises to inspect and repair blocked sewer lines," KIWASCO Managing Director David Onyango explained.
Landlords have promised to challenge the move as they insist all construction was approved by the county's Planning Department.
Mr Onyango, however, assured them that Governor Anyang' Nyong'o had promised to hold a stakeholders conference to iron out any thorny issues.
A recent report released in Nairobi showed which estates had the highest number of unsafe houses.
[caption caption="A collapsed building in Huruma Estate, Nairobi"]
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