The Nairobi County government has launched a fresh crackdown in Githurai 44, targeting landlords and traders who are releasing raw sewage into open areas or enabling such illegal disposal.
In a statement issued on Thursday, August 28, Nairobi County Environment Chief Officer Geoffrey Mosiria confirmed that his department has already issued a seven-day notice to all landlords in the area. He warned that once the notice period ends, arrests will begin for those who fail to comply.
The county has also promised to pursue legal action against those found guilty of breaking environmental laws.
Mosiria further revealed that the county has issued vacate notices to vendors who have erected illegal structures on drainage systems. These makeshift stalls and kiosks, he explained, have completely blocked drainage channels and made the situation worse.
“Today, we worked with our Environmental Officer in Githurai 44, Roysambu Constituency, and the area MCA to respond to the worsening state of the environment,” Mosiria said. “What we found was raw sewage and garbage openly flowing in residential areas.
Drainage systems were clogged because vendors had put up illegal structures on top of them. Shockingly, some landlords have even diverted their sewer lines into these open drains.”
According to him, this behavior not only damages the environment but also puts residents at serious risk. Children, in particular, face greater exposure to waterborne diseases such as cholera and typhoid due to the raw sewage flowing in public spaces.
“It is very unfortunate that landlords are deliberately directing their sewage into the drainage systems. This makes the situation worse and places innocent residents in danger,” Mosiria emphasized. “As part of our operation, we cleared the garbage and issued strict notices to vendors ordering them to vacate the drainage corridors.”
This latest move comes barely a month after the Nairobi County government carried out a similar crackdown in Pipeline Estate. That operation targeted landlords, caretakers, and tenants who were flouting waste management laws.
According to Mosiria, one of the biggest challenges in Nairobi estates is that many landlords and tenants fail to pay for waste management services.
This, he explained, undermines the county’s efforts because the government relies on the payments to fund garbage collection and also settle private contractors who support waste disposal across the city.
He stressed that those who fail to manage their waste responsibly will not only be arrested but will also have to pay for the cleanup of their own compounds. Offenders will also be forced to transport the garbage themselves to designated dumping sites such as the Dandora landfill.
“The county government is responsible for keeping the main roads and public spaces clean,” Mosiria said. “But every household must take responsibility for the waste it produces. All garbage from homes must end up at the Dandora dumping site, which is the official final disposal point.”
He added that the county cannot sustain waste management if tenants and landlords refuse to pay for the service. “If residents do not pay for these services, how do you expect us to operate?
We must repair and service our garbage trucks, and also pay the workers who collect waste. Without funding, it becomes impossible.”
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