• Under the five-year regeneration programme, rivers Molo in Nakuru county, Nairobi River, Sabaki, Sosiani and Kisat in Kisumu are set to benefit.
• Nema says rivers across major towns are heavily polluted due to a lack of sewerage facilities in informal settlements.
The National Environmental Management Authority and partners will spend Sh1 billion to restore five heavily polluted rivers in the country.
Under the five-year regeneration programme, rivers Molo in Nakuru county, Nairobi River, Sabaki, Sosiani and Kisat in Kisumu are set to benefit.
Nema says rivers across major towns are heavily polluted due to a lack of sewerage facilities in informal settlements.
Deputy director in charge of enforcement Salome Machau said that the programme requires Sh200 million every year. Nairobi River is the key focus.
Machau said that they were working closely with counties to zone dumpsites, industrial areas, parking and other amenities as part of the programme.
“Currently rivers passing through towns are clogged up by waste and we are confident that if funded, we shall achieve our objective of regenerating the five rivers,” she said.
Machau noted that industrial pollution and release of human waste into the rivers remained the major challenges, but was optimistic that this could be addressed.
“We shall demolish structures on riparian land, charge those releasing waste into the rivers and educate the public on the need to conserve the water bodies,” she said.
She spoke in Naivasha during a consultative workshop.
Lakes Naivasha, Victoria, Elementaita and Nakuru would also be rehabilitated in a different programme.
Nema deputy director in charge of aquatic and wetlands Stephen Katua denied that the extinction of some fish species in Lake Victoria was due to pollution.
Katua said that there was excessive fishing in the lake, leading to the extinction of 12 species.
“The biggest challenge currently facing the lake is overfishing, lack of restocking and the water hyacinth that is on the rise again,” he said.
Katua said that they were working with researchers to seek ways of dealing with the invasive weed which has also affected Lake Naivasha.
“At first, we were using the mechanical way of harvesting the weed but this was stopped after the donor programme ended,” he said.