Members of the Nairobi County Assembly have claimed the Nairobi Rivers Commission has made little progress in restoring the city’s rivers, nearly two years after it was created.

Despite significant funding, ward reps say, the rivers are still choked with filth, prompting questions about the agency’s effectiveness and possible misuse of funds.

Speaking about the collaboration between the national government and the county in addressing river pollution, ward reps called for transparency.

“The Constitution … mandates the county government to implement national policies on natural resources and environmental conservation, including soil and water conservation and forestry,” Nairobi South B Ward Rep Waithera Chege told the assembly’s Environment and Natural Resources Committee.

Financial implications

Waithera, the deputy minority leader, wants City Hall to clarify its role in managing Nairobi’s rivers and disclose any financial implications incurred so far.

“The committee should also establish whether there is collaboration between the county executive and the Nairobi Rivers Commission in [managing] and [conserving] Nairobi River,” she said in a statement.

“The city is [uninhabitable], yet we see the leadership of Nairobi hanging [out] with the President [at] almost every event he attends. It should not surprise us that they give our President the wrong information.”

The agency was launched by President William Ruto in December 2022 as a collaborative effort between the national government and Nairobi County to reclaim and restore polluted rivers.

At the time, President Ruto announced that the Ministry of Environment, in partnership with the county, would employ at least 12,000 young people and women to clean up rivers and plant trees.