It has been almost two decades since former Environment Minister the late John Michuki initiated a process to clean the Nairobi River.
Then he had just been moved from the security docket, and many thought his wish of swimming and fishing in the filthy river was unrealistic.
For long the depository of city effluent, the once cool waters of Nairobi had turned into an oily and toxic goo, with the river’s banks jammed with all manner of detritus and polythene waste.
While in other modern cities the river’s banks would have been prime land offering river frontage for posh homes, it was the exact opposite in Nairobi, where the banks were so filthy, only street urchins dared to call the place home.
Months later, Michuki’s hand on the Nairobi River was seen; people started believing him after witnessing massive works from Kikuyu to Ruai in a project that involved 17 ministries.
In roughly eight months, about 20,000 tonnes of waste had been removed from the river in an exercise that included clearing of illegal structures from the riparian land, resulting in a visibly cleaner river for a period, with sections becoming clear enough to see the water.
When Michuki’s term ended sometime in 2012 and he later died, the massive project that he had supervised was forgotten as Nairobi River went back to worse.
More than a decade later, another attempt is being undertaken to save the filthy river cutting across informal settlements and industrial parks in the capital city.
The Nairobi River Regeneration Project, which was launched last year in an attempt to clean the polluted rivers in Nairobi, is taking shape.
The Sh45 billion project funded by the state has been divided into different sites being carried out by China Engineering Group.
The project that started in May 2024 is expected to be handed over in January 2027, and it consists of five components the contractor is working on.
The components are flood control works, new sewer lines along the river to deal with liquid waste, construction of bridges, walkways for pedestrians, and greening and restoration of catchment areas.
Currently, the regeneration projects are running in Kamukunji grounds, Korokocho, Lucky Summer and City Cotton in the Buruburu area
At Kamukunji grounds, the regeneration project involves putting up community amenities along the river.
“We are working on community programmes that are near the river as part of a regeneration project where we are redoing the football pitch,” explained Lieutenant Colonel Kahigu Njoroge, the project manager
“We have two multi-purpose pitches that host basketball, a community centre that has a social hall, a library and kindergarten and ablution blocks,” he adds.
The area is also being landscaped to allow the public to enjoy a walkway that runs from Dandora Falls all the way to town along the River on both sides
In another site in the city, Cotton around the Buruburu area, a team is working on river training, which involves deepening and widening the riverbank.
At the Korokocho/Babadogo area, the ongoing project involves pushing garbage spilling over from the Dandora dumpsite, 50 metres away from the river bank.
“There is nothing else one can do with this waste because it has colouristic value and is so contaminated. So we cut it up and shape it to ensure that there is no collapse,” explained Kahigu.
Similarly, the regeneration of the area will involve planting trees, landscaping and beautification to allow the residents more spaces along the river.
Not far from the area is Lucky Summer, where another group is working on the gabions and the foundation of a six-kilometre sewer line that goes all the way to Naivasha Road.
It is expected that the sewer line that will be connected to the estates along the river will help in curbing channelling human wastes to the river, as is the case in some areas, mostly in informal settlements.
The project is carried out by a multi-agency team involving Athi Water company, the county government of Nairobi, Kenya Urban Roads Authority, Kenya Forest Service, among other agencies.
Nairobi County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Environment Maureen Njeri said the county has played several roles and responsibilities in relation to the project, including offering technical guidance and providing access to needed spaces.
“We are looking forward to having the community support us because we have a lot of areas along the upper side of the river that are heavily encroached, whereby the riverbanks have got properties that have come up over the years,” Njeri said.
However, questions have emerged on whether the fresh efforts will bear fruits, especially on its longer-term sustainability.
“I am worried because a lot of taxpayer’s money is being used on the project. How will it be sustained to ensure that the filth will not flow back to the river?” posed Anthony Muge, an environmentalist.
“Michuki achieved a lot without such a huge budget. Another problem is that powerful people own some homes and even factories along the river. Those are the first ones who are supposed to be evicted so as to stop the discharge,” he added
But Colonel Njoroge, the project manager, argues that the Nairobi River regeneration project is being undertaken by multi-agency teams like Nairobi County because most of these areas, like the parks, belong to them.
“The sewers are for Athi Water and Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC), thus the whole government approach will ensure that there is an effort to remove the waste,” he said.
Njoroge says the communities along the river are part of the regeneration and they are working with them for ownership, adding that if this approach is not applied then dumping will continue.
“With the community’s ownership of the program, they will help us to maintain the cleanliness along the river thus achieving sustainability,” Njoroge noted.
In an interview with this publication, former Nairobi Town Clerk John Gakuo said Michuki’s efforts to clean the river were genuine and did not require rocket science for the results to be seen.
“Every day, Michuki called to find out if the water beetles were back. He longed to see them dance around. He was happy to hear that mudfish was back since his desire was to see the river regain its glory,” Gakuo said.
His team blocked the spilling sewage, forcing it back to people’s homes, roads and government facilities to compel NCWSC to act.
“We created a mess in people’s homes. They owned the waste and if they could not manage it, then they had to live with it. We were not going to deal with their mess. Not us. We made people and the government wage war against NCWSC,” Gakuo, now deceased, said.
Gakuo hired street children for the clean-up exercise because they were familiar with the river. This also created awareness, meaning the street families stopped polluting the river. For their effort, they were paid Sh200 each daily.
After Gakuo left, the river resorted back to its former sorry state, a mess he said pained him.