Nairobi ramps up flood mitigation as Sakaja orders crackdown on illegal riverbank structures

The intensified operations come a day after Governor Johnson Sakaja ordered the demolition of illegal structures along riverbanks and the reopening of blocked waterways.

Across the city, coordinated teams were deployed to unclog drainage systems, desilt blocked channels, and clear waste choking key water pathways.

In Roysambu Ward, desilting works were ongoing at Oak Place, alongside similar efforts behind Kongoni Primary School. However, operations along Muhoho Avenue in Nairobi West were temporarily halted due to a machine breakdown.

In Kibra Sub-county, particularly in Woodley Ward, multi-agency teams carried out drainage unclogging, sweeping, desilting, and waste transfer along Ngong Road near the KMTC area and Joseph Kang’ethe Road, with progress reported as steady.

Meanwhile, in Embakasi Central’s Kayole Central Ward, a comprehensive clean-up exercise covering Kayole, Mugendi, and Diwopa/Bondeni roads saw drainage unclogging, garbage collection, and litter picking completed within the day.

At the Nairobi River near T-Mall Bridge, an intensified environmental intervention is underway under the Rapid Results Initiative (RRI), driven by ongoing heavy rains that have heightened flood risks. The operation brings together the Green Army from the Environment Department, enforcement officers from Lang’ata Sub-county, and the Nairobi Rivers Commission.

"Today, you can see the work on the ground from desilting drains to reopening rivers that had been choked by illegal developments. This is a coordinated, multi-agency effort that will not stop until our drainage systems are fully restored and our river corridors reclaimed. " Sakaja said.

The latest developments build on decisive action announced Thursday by Governor Sakaja, who directed the immediate demolition of illegal structures on riparian land following the submission of a 48-hour flood response plan.

Speaking during an inspection in Westlands near the Westgate area, the Governor said the exercise had already begun, with heavy machinery deployed to clear obstructed river channels and reopen waterways that had been reduced to narrow culverts.

He warned that all encroachments along rivers would be removed without exception and emphasised that the operation would be sustained, with weekly progress reports expected.

"We must all take responsibility, government, developers, and residents, to ensure we do not return to the same crisis.”Sakaja continued

The county has identified several flood-prone hotspots, including Kirichwa, parts of Westlands, the CBD, and downstream sections of the Nairobi River, as priority areas in the ongoing effort to reduce flooding and safeguard lives and property.