Nairobi, Athi water bosses risk arrest over sewage menace
Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company Managing Director, Nahashon Muguna, gestures during an interview at the company's headquarters in Industrial Area, Nairobi, on May 5, 2021.
What you need to know:
- The National Environment Management Authority (Nema) has given them two weeks to fix the problem.
Nairobi water company managing director Nahashon Muguna and Athi Water Works Development Agency CEO Michael Thuita risk arrest for not repairing sewer lines in the city.
The National Environment Management Authority (Nema) has given them two weeks to fix the problem.
Nema Director-General Mamo Boru noted that most of the pollution in Nairobi results from dysfunctional sewer lines.
Subsequently, he said, Nairobi Water needs to ensure a functional sewer line while Athi Water needs to work on improving coverage in the capital city.
“Broken sewer lines are a major cause of the pollution problem in the city. We have now given the two heads two weeks to fix the problem or else we will arrest them and take them to court,” Mr Boru said on Monday.
He added: “The coverage is less than 20 percent. Where does the wastewater go? They need to work on the problem. Areas like Karen are not served by sewer lines. They rely on septic tanks and once they are full, the waste gets into the stormwater drainage all the way to our rivers.”
Last year in May, Mr Muguna was arrested by Nema officers for allegedly failing to manage waste in the city by allowing its disposal into the Nairobi River.
In 2019, he escaped arrest after being tipped-off.
Water CS Sicily Kariuki next to (centre), Athi Water Works Development Agency CEO Michael Thuita and Engineer Albert Ocharo inspect a construction site along Lumumba Drive in Roysambu on February 26, 2021.
Illegal activities
Mr Boru further noted that several companies and residential apartments around the city have been discharging raw sewage into the river.
He said they identified and blocked 28 concealed illegal pipes discharging effluent into the river from residential areas.
“Flats are not connected to sewer lines so they depend on septic tanks. When full, they do a bypass and lead the concealed pipes into the river. The issue is prevalent around Kilimani and Kikuyu areas, all the way to Wanyi Bridge,” he said.
In efforts to clean the river, Mr Boru said, 142 illegal discharge points, 42 industrial facilities and 75 illegal structures were discovered along the river and marked for demolition.
All informal settlements along the river were also mapped, alongside 54 illegal dumpsites which will be closed, he said.
“The responsibility of solid waste management is a devolved function, with the mandate resting with the Nairobi Metropolitan Services. We have asked them to ensure they remove the illegal dumpsites.”
Nema has also issued closure notices to owners of 42 industrial facilities found to be polluting the Nairobi River, following the lapse of a grace period issued last year because of the Covid-19 disruption.
The facilities now have two weeks to comply by putting up functioning effluent treatment plants.
The Nema police unit and environmental inspectors’ have visited 12 facilities and issued six improvement orders to the facilities.
