Nairobi: The government is undertaking significant measures to secure riparian encroached spaces as part of the Nairobi River Regeneration project, aiming to make the rivers clean and safe to protect the lives of Kenyans.
According to Kenya News Agency, Nairobi North Sub Region County Commissioner Simon Osumba emphasized the necessity of reclaiming Nairobi River, Mathare River, and Ngong River for restoration and revitalization. This initiative requires individuals who have erected structures or settled within the protected corridors to vacate. The Nairobi Rivers Commission is set to issue notices to owners of buildings along the Ngong River to facilitate the smooth implementation of the Regeneration plan and projects.
“If the riparian land was not encroached, there will be no loss of life and property as witnessed recently during the last heavy rains that caused the death of 37 people in Nairobi Region,” Osumba noted. He highlighted during a National Government Development-Regional/County Implementation Coordination and Management Committee meeting at Nyayo House Building that the encroachment of riparian land contributed to significant havoc during the heavy rains. These caused traffic jams and flooding, particularly along the globe roundabout bridge, resulting in the tragic loss of life.
Osumba mentioned that the Nairobi County government is actively working to unclog the Nairobi River with assistance from other agencies. He also noted that families affected by the heavy floods received food and non-food items as relief.
According to the Nairobi Rivers Commission, reclaiming the riparian reserves will facilitate the construction of trunk sewer lines on both sides of the rivers. This initiative aims to address pollution caused by untreated sewage and stormwater discharge, thereby preventing contaminated water from flowing downstream to Machakos, Makueni, and Mombasa Counties.
In a briefing to the committee, Eng. Wilfred Langat from the Kenya National Highways Authority (KenHA) reported that the 24.5 km road performance-based maintenance of the Outering/Jn/Kangundo-Kamulu in Nairobi County is complete. Furthermore, the 10.6 km Muthaiga-Kiambu road is at 45.72 percent completion and is progressing well. Langat also informed the committee that road works are ongoing in various constituencies within the county, which have been allocated funds for the Financial Year 2025/2026.
