Making Nairobi City great again: Inside Ruto makeover plan

DORCAS Moraa, her teenage daughter and two grandchildren waited for the rain pounding Nairobi to subside. But it did not.

As the night wore on, rainwater began streaming into their mabati house in Lunga Lunga slum. Before long, their entire home was flooded. The family was terrified.  

“Many of my household items, such as seats, electronics, bedding and children's books were destroyed. We moved out that night and stayed with a kind neighbour for three days before returning to clean up,” Moraa told the Star on Friday.  

The family was fortunate. The devastating downpour on March 6 claimed the lives of at least 33 people, most of whom were slum dwellers. Vehicles were swept off the roads, and property was destroyed. City residents heading home spent part of the night in traffic.  

“I haven't carried out any repairs yet because I lack the funds,” said Moraa, 55, who has lived in the slum since her teenage years. This means that if the rains return, her family will be in trouble again.  

A day before Moraa shared her story, President William Ruto painted a disturbing picture of Nairobi, East Africa’s largest metropolis, in a historic speech to the Nairobi City County assembly.  

“Over 60 per cent of residents live in informal settlements. Access to piped water remains inadequate and unreliable. Sanitation and sewerage systems are under severe strain," he said.

"Mobility is hindered by congestion and insufficient transport infrastructure. Environmental degradation and encroachment have intensified flooding. Spatial inequality, unemployment, and exclusion continue to fuel insecurity and vulnerability in parts of the city.” 

The President described Nairobi as a city of immense potential, trapped by chronic dysfunction.

“A city of extraordinary promise suffocated by disorder, delayed by indecision, undermined by poor planning, and held hostage by interests that profit from chaos.”  

This is why families like Moraa’s have never experienced dignified living in Nairobi.

“A capital city where flooding still claims lives. A capital city where garbage too often defines neighbourhoods. A capital city where roads are congested, drainage is broken, sewerage is overstretched, planning is weak, and basic order is often absent. A capital city where too many residents live without dignity in the very city whose labour, talent and enterprise sustain our national economy,” Ruto said.  

Governor Johnson Sakaja appeared to despair over the city’s dysfunction.

“There is no quick fix for this city; it is not possible… We are dealing with a generational infrastructure deficit, drainage built for 500,000 people, planning and development control for a city smaller than the one we have today,” he said following the floods.  

“The drainage system we have is not designed for this amount of rain… The capital cannot be organised based on the share of revenue it receives, like other counties.”  

The President agreed. “From fewer than 300,000 people in 1960, Nairobi has grown into a city of nearly five million, swelling further during the day. However, this growth has not been matched by the necessary infrastructure, systems, planning discipline, and service delivery required of a modern metropolis,” he said.  

On February 17, Governor Sakaja signed a cooperation agreement with President Ruto to transform Nairobi into a functional city. The city MCAs approved the deal on March 3.  

Under this framework, an initial Sh80 billion has been allocated for critical infrastructure projects.  

“We are delivering a safer city through the installation of 50,000 street lighting points, including the revival of 40,000 existing lights and the installation of 10,000 new solar and smart streetlights. Fabrication is already underway and installation will commence this month,” the President told MCAs.  

“By the end of May, Nairobi will begin to see visible improvements across key corridors and neighbourhoods, and within six months, the city will be noticeably brighter, safer, and more secure.”  

The government will extend electricity via last-mile connectivity in informal settlements, starting this month in Hospital ward, and progressing into Kibra, Korogocho, Mathare and Kamukunji within the next 90 days.  

Water supply is being expanded through strategic interventions, including the Ng’ethu-Gigiri waterworks, which will add 50,000 cubic metres of water daily.

The Gigiri–Shauri Moyo evacuation corridor is also being advanced to stabilise supply in high-demand areas, including those supporting affordable housing development.  

As part of the Nairobi Rivers Regeneration Programme, two parallel 27km trunk sewers are under construction along the Nairobi River corridor. The project includes building a 60,000 cubic metre per day treatment plant, expanding last-mile sewer connectivity, and supporting the long-term expansion of sewerage systems in the city.  

Under the cooperation agreement, 247km of roads will be constructed.

“The first phase of 63km is already underway and expected to be completed by June 2026. Another 58km began this month, with subsequent phases funded to start without delay," the President said.  

"This will be complemented by drainage interventions in flood-prone hotspots so that we stop managing floods as annual surprises and start treating them as infrastructure failures that need fixing.” 

Nairobi generates about 3,000 tonnes of solid waste daily, and waste management remains one of the city’s key challenges. The processes are being overhauled.  

The city county government will allocate 100 acres for a material recovery facility and multiple transfer stations across the city. Work is already underway in Dandora, where 40 trucks are clearing old waste, and additional capacity is being mobilised.  

“Within three months, we expect the core system to be operational. Within six months, Nairobi should experience a functioning waste management system befitting a serious capital city,” Ruto stated.  

As part of the Nairobi Rivers Regeneration Programme, the first phase of the Gikomba riverfront markets is underway, with further phases planned to reorganise and upgrade one of the country’s most important trading hubs. Additional investments are being made to support traders affected by flooding, including new garage markets and trading spaces.  

The President also announced the establishment of a Nairobi Metropolitan Police Unit to support coordinated, responsive, and effective security management across the capital.  

The greater Nairobi Metropolitan region is home to 93 Affordable Housing Programme projects, encompassing houses, markets, and institutional accommodation.  

President Ruto said these projects will deliver more than 180,000 housing units and market stalls, with more than 112,000 already underway and nearly 70,000 more in the pipeline.

In terms of investment, this amounts to more than Sh220 billion in ongoing projects and another Sh139 billion in planned developments, bringing the total housing-related pipeline in Nairobi alone to well over Sh360 billion.  

Nairobi will benefit from other mega projects, such as the completion of the Raila Odinga International Talanta Sports Stadium for the 2027 AFCON tournament and the Bomas International Convention Complex. 

Plans are also underway to expand the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and reinforce Nairobi’s role as the aviation gateway to the region as well as the construction of Nairobi Railway City.

When these projects are realised, Moraa’s family and other residents of Nairobi will live in a city of order, dignity, hope, and opportunities for all.