People living on Nairobi River's riparian areas could be relocated and structures demolished in a new plan to clean up the river.
The Nairobi River Commission is is also considering upgrading sewer systems to match the city's growing population for easy drainage.
The commission is mulling the idea of moving out people living near riparian areas as one of the strategies to clean up the heavily polluted basin.
Nairobi River Commission chairperson Pamela Olet said they were engaging other state agencies to firm up the policy to save the heavily polluted river.
"We are in the process of engaging stakeholders and key government agencies such as the National Land Commission," she said.
Olet said illegal structures on the river's riparian paths will also have to be pulled down.
She said they are exploring how to charge polluters before resources accruing are ploughed back into the restoration efforts.
She said the commission is in discussion with the National Environment Management Authority.
Olet said things have to be done differently this time round for the river to regain its lost glory. The Commission is in the process of developing a long-term strategy to guide its work.
Olet said the strategy could be released in five months.
She acknowledged the basin has a lot of challenges that can only be addressed through a long-term strategy, covering short, medium and long term.
Olet revealed some people have title deeds where they have put up structures.
She said stakeholders envisage a strategy running up to 2050 but some think it run to 2063.
The chairperson said the river has continued to be dirty because the strategies were short-term.
Years ago, the Nairobi River had clean drinking water from four main rivers — Ngong, Nairobi, Mathare and Mbagathi.
Young boys used to fish along the river as it was sparkling clean from Lavington to Dandora.
It also abounded with water beetles, dragonflies and other creatures.
Today, the Nairobi River — a Maasai name for cool waters — doesn't support life, except for scum and maggots.
Olet said those willing to continue cleaning the river will be guided by the commission.
She said communities around the basin will be trained on nature-based solutions for them to take an active role in the cleanup.
Communities know the value of having a sparkling clean river and informal settlements need long-term strategies, especially with their sewer systems, Olet said.
She said resources will be mobilised both internally and externally.
Olet said the commission has also received goodwill from the Water Resource Institute and UN agencies, among others.
“The technical and financial support will come when we have a strategy in place,” she said.
The long-term strategies will include addressing transport through electrification, beautification of the city and adoption of a circular economy, among others.
In a circular economy, resources are reused and recycled to minimise waste and maximise efficiency.
National Environment Management Authority director General Mamo Mamo, the root causes of pollution in the river must be dealt with if the river is to become clean.
"This means improving or upgrading the sewerage system, protecting the riparian reserves, removal of illegal dumping sites along the river, improving sanitation infrastructure for the informal settlements," Mamo said.
The authority said it will provide technical backstopping to the commission and assist in enforcement.
On July 20, 2020, the environmental agency was tasked to oversee the clean up of the river, including a sustained, aggressive and merciless crackdown.
However, while billions have been used to clean up the river, only minor progress has been made.
Mamo said some of the lessons learnt from the earlier clean-ups showed they were not lasting solutions.
The worst pollution points are the old and dysfunctional sewerage systems, informal settlements along the river basin, encroachment on the riparian areas and poor management of solid waste.
“Addressing the root causes and installing effluent treatment plants along the rivers and robust river pollution monitoring systems along the river basin will be crucial,” Mamo said.
Communities along the riparian land and youths need to be involved in the cleanup.
Mamo said concealed underground pipes from residential areas or flats were also discharging untreated effluent into the river.
The Nairobi River Commission was established through a Gazette notice dated December 2, 2022.
Former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu also landed a new job after being appointed by the President to be a member 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 and Duncan Ojwang, both representing academia.
Other members are Mumo Musuva, representing Nairobi county and Grace Senewa Mesopirr a t representing the Ministry of Environment and Forestry.
The members shall hold office for three years, renewable once, based on performance.
The clean-up agency has been placed under the Office of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
The clean-up of the river gains momentum comes a few years after Auditor General Nancy Gathungu raised concerns about the safety of the water that will be fed into Thwake Dam.
The auditor said the Sh82 billion Thwake Dam may turn out to be a white elephant because of polluted, unsafe water.
An environmental and social impact assessment of the project warned that the water would be hard to treat owing to the pollutants.
It cites problems of residual faecal and organic matter from pit latrines, graveyards and waste-holding sites from displaced homesteads and social locations.
The situation undermines the health of people and animals drinking the water.
The main supply of the Thwake dam will be the Athi River whose main tributary is the Nairobi River, which is polluted with heavy metals.
About two million people from the Lower Eastern plan to use the dam to end their water shortage.
The dam, which is being constructed downstream from Thwake and Athi Rivers, covers 2,470 acres (10 sqm) to create a reservoir of more than 690 million cubic metres.
(Edited by V. Graham)
