Nairobi county will prioritise work on CBD drainage systems as the rainy season approaches.
Through a combination of the County’s Transport and Environment departments, Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has directed that all drainage systems in the capital be unclogged.
The environment department is to ensure that waste is collected along roads, open trenches and walkways while the transport team will work on unclogging.
To maintain a clean and functional drainage system, Sonko says that the unclogging should take place weekly.
In an interview with the Star, Transport executive Mohammed Dagane said that currently all roadworks are done inclusive of drainage systems.
“We had noted that previously, contractors were only working on the roads and leaving out the drainage system and as a result, the roads would flood whenever it rained leading to blocked drainages,” Dagane said.
However, Dagane said that there was a new policy whereby road contractors have to work on the drainage and walkways alongside the road under construction.
Early last year, Sonko’s administration was queried after city residents raised concerns over the poor status of city roads, especially during the rainy season.
Various roads in the capital were in a poor state, having several potholes and blocked drainage systems.
Other roads had garbage dumped on the sides and sewage openly flowing posing health threats to pedestrians as well as motorists.
Pedestrians in the city centre had to use carts at a fee, to cross certain roads at certain streets which had flooded with water.