A section of excessively polluted Nairobi River. Photo credit: Nairobi River Commission.
Nairobi River will be fully cleaned up in the next 18 months, Environment and Forestry Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale now says.
Duale put companies involved in polluting Nairobi River on notice, warning them that they will be shamed.
“We will shame in public {and} in private those who pollute Nairobi River and all our urban and rural rivers,” said Duale.
Duale was speaking during Mazingira Day (10th October) at Arboretum Nairobi.
For years, Nairobi River has been polluted, making water unusable both for domestic and agricultural purposes.
In December 2022, president William Ruto established Nairobi River Commision to oversee the cleaning exercise. The commission was inaugurated in February 2024.
However, little has been done to reclaim the overly polluted city river.
READ: Why Court Ruled NG-CDF Unconstitutional, Null And Void
On its website, Nairobi River Commission says: “The Nairobi River has over the years been polluted to unspeakable levels. It is time to rehabilitate it and stop further pollution. This pollution is hazardous to the entire ecosystem.”
Garbage and pollution
He further told members of the public to ensure that the garbage that accumulates in their homestead must be traced to a dumpsite.
He also put garbage collectors on notice over carelessness in carrying garbage to the dumpsite, arguing that their trucks leak garbage along the roads.
“Garbage that leaves your home must be traced to a dumpsite. The vehicles that carry your garbage must be the right vehicle,” Duale told members of the public.
