The journey to “reclaim the rivers of Nairobi as a spine to the city's blue and green infrastructure for a better urban environment and quality of life" is hours away.
This comes as President William Ruto is set to launch the Nairobi River Commission on Wednesday.
The event will take place in the afternoon at Korogocho in Nairobi.
It will also be attended by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua who will oversee the commission's work.
The commission is part of Ruto's grand plan to clean up Nairobi city and restore it to its former glory.
He had earlier explained that his dream is to sort out the filth in the capital city and make Nairobi a place where people can enjoy it and enterprises can grow by getting rid of sewage and all other effluents that are going into the city's rivers.
“If you look at our rivers in Nairobi, it is a sad story and I want to assure the residents of Nairobi that we will make the Nairobi River what it should be,” Ruto said.
Before the launch, the appointees of the Commission will be sworn in on Wednesday.
Ruto named Pamela A. Olet as the chairperson of the commission.
Other members include Eva Muhia – Representing Riverine Communities, Elizabeth Wathuti – Representing Civil Society, Carlota Dal Lago – Representing the Private Sector, Elijah Biama – Representing Academia and Duncan Ojwang – Representing Academia.
Also, Mumo Musuva – a Representative from Nairobi City County and Grace Senewa Mesopirr — Representing the Ministry of Environment and Forestry are part of the commission.
Former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu was also appointed to the Commission, but it was contested and the court gave stay orders to stop him from being sworn in.
The members shall hold office for a term of three years renewable once based on performance.
The Commission shall be financed through funding appropriated for the Commission’s use by the National Government and the Nairobi City County Government as well as donations.
The commission will also be expected to examine previous reports and recommendations made to reclaim the Nairobi River and adopt lessons learnt in the new initiative.
