Kenyan president launches Nairobi Rivers Commission
24 February 2023—President William Ruto has launched the Nairobi Rivers Commission, an initiative aimed at restoring the lost glory of the Kenyan capital which the head of state said had deteriorated environmentally over the years, thus losing its ‘City in the Sun’ status of the yore.
“For far too long, the city of Nairobi has fallen into a state of shameful, hazardous and unpleasant state of environmental and sanitary neglect. Runaway air, water, land and even noise pollution have been so normalised that there are people who have never seen the clean, green, healthy and safe City in the Sun that Nairobi used to be.
In other words, commitment to the integrity of the environment is a central feature of political, economic, social and cultural life in Kenya,” President Ruto said at the function held at the Korogocho People’s Park, situated in on of Nairobi’s biggest informal settlements.
He lamented that today, no one, not even the most reckless among us, could dare so much as taste the water in any stream in the Nairobi river system which he said was discoloured, smelly, often corrosive and toxic.
“This state of affairs must come to an end and the unsafe and unhealthy environmental situation must be corrected to restore Nairobi to its true identity. We have resolved that the city must not only reclaim its glorious reputation as Africa’s green city in the sun, but must also live up to its ancestral identity as the river of cool, fresh and safe water.”
President Ruto lauded the United Nations- especially the two programmes based in Nairobi UN-Habitat and UNEP for their leading role in the Commission.
“In 2019, UNEP again collaborated with the Rotary Club under the Adopt-A-River initiative, which is still going on. Likewise, UN Habitat, in collaboration with the government, undertook the Nairobi River Regeneration Initiative” the head of state said.
In her statement read by the Director of Global Solutions Division Raf Tuts, UN-Habitat Executive Director Maimunah Moh’d Sharif, said the Commission provided unparalleled advantage which could be a turning point towards sustainable urban development.
“This will ultimately improve urban health and wellbeing, create decent jobs and eco-tourism opportunities. It will enhance biodiversity, and support the provision of clean water, sanitation and waste management. The initiative will also be a catalyst for infrastructure development including affordable housing, non-motorized transport and green public spaces, particularly within the vulnerable areas,” she said.
She further disclosed that UN-Habitat was actively supporting urban regeneration by promoting Inclusive Vibrant Neighborhoods and Communities, adding that creating social value and connecting urbanization with nature were at the very heart of this initiative. She acknowledged the great role given to UN-Habitat together with her sister agency UNEP and World Resources Institute as members of the Advisory Group.
Wanjira Mathai from the Water Resource Institute mentioned that the local communities adjacent to the Rivers of Nairobi should be involved in the regeneration by involving them, amplifying their voices, and scaling up their innovations.
The Executive director of UNEP Inger Andersen mentioned that the restoration of the rivers required the collaboration of all actors, Government and non-government alike, the need for an integrated basin wide approach and sustainable development through the regeneration of the rivers.
Johnson Sakaja, Governor of Nairobi County, acknowledged the Nairobi City County role in the commission and echoed the effects of the river to the community in the downstream counties, notably Machakos county where the effects of the Nairobi rivers water lead to cancer complications.
The community groups present showcased their innovative waste recycling technologies and the urban Agriculture innovations that can be tapped from the river regeneration programme. Tree planting and a nature walk along Nairobi River also took place lead by the Komb green solutions, a youth-based community group.