By Wakili Njenga
wakilishupavu@gmail.com
1. The Reality on the Ground
Nairobians were promised a city of order, dignity, and hope. Instead, under Governor Johnson Sakaja, our households face an existential crisis: dry taps and artificial water scarcity.
While clean, piping-hot or fresh tap water remains a distant dream in estates across Nairobi—from Kasarani to Embakasi, Lang’ata to Roysambu—commercial water bowsers and tankers line our streets daily, selling water at exorbitant rates.
2. Historical Contrast: Nairobi’s Water in the 70s & 80s vs. Today
To understand how low Nairobi has sunk, we must look back at how a well-managed capital used to function:
The Golden Era (Late 1970s & Early 1980s): Back then, Nairobi’s population was manageable, and the city relied primarily on robust, well-maintained sources like Sasumua Dam (in the Aberdare Range), Ruiru Dam, and the pristine Kikuyu Springs. Piped water flowed continuously (24/7) into homes in estates like Jericho, Ofafa Maringo, Buru Buru, Ziwani, and Woodley without residents needing giant plastic storage tanks or booster pumps. Gross water availability per capita was robust, and municipal maintenance was proactive.
The Modern Nightmare: Fast forward to today, despite the multi-billion-shilling mega-investment of Ndakaini Dam (Thika Dam)—completed in 1994 in Gatanga Sub-County, Murang’a County, specifically to supply over 84% of Nairobi’s water needs—Nairobians endure worse water rationing than our parents faced 40 years ago.
3. Where the Rain Started Beating Us: The Ndakaini Dam Paradox
To understand the betrayal, we must trace where the system failed:
1994 (Ndakaini Dam Completed): Designed with a capacity of ~70 million cubic metres to cater to a growing capital.
The Deficit: Nairobi requires over 850,000 m³ (850 million litres) of water per day. However, total daily supply hovers around 525,000 m³ to 660,000 m³, creating a crippling daily shortage of over 200 million litres.
The Cartel Economics: Instead of fixing non-revenue water loss (which currently stands at a staggering 50%+ due to leaks, illegal bypasses, and intentional pipe cut-offs), the deficit created a multi-billion-shilling water cartels industry. Unscrupulous elements, working in cohorts with rogue county officials, intentionally throttle main pipelines so that estate residents are forced to buy 10,000-litre tanker deliveries at inflated prices ranging from KSh 2,500 to KSh 6,000 per tank.
4. Estate-Level Realities: Where the Taps Run Entirely Dry
While City Hall spins PR narratives, the situation across Nairobi neighborhoods tells a story of systematic failure:
Eastlands & Pipeline (Embakasi, Umoja, Donholm, Pipeline Estate, Kasarani, Roysambu): Millions of residents in multi-story apartments face taps that have been bone-dry for weeks or months. Tenants rely entirely on erratic, untreated borehole water sold at exorbitant rates or queued for hours. Meanwhile, commercial water bowsers block estate roads to pump water into tanks at a massive profit.
South B, South C, & Lang’ata: Families endure prolonged dry spells. Households are forced to budget hundreds of shillings daily just to buy individual jerricans of water for basic sanitation, cooking, and hygiene.
Uthiru, Kawangware, and Riruta: Historical reliance on Kikuyu springs has been compromised by poor municipal oversight, leaving densely populated neighborhoods at the mercy of informal water vendors.
5. Broken Campaign Promises: Zero Results
During his campaigns, Governor Johnson Sakaja pledged to fix Nairobi’s water distribution network and crush the cartels exploiting residents.
The Promise: Direct, reliable water delivery to every Nairobi homestead and an end to cartel-driven rationing.
The Reality:
Under his watch, the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC) lurches from one emergency pipeline shutdown to another. Taps in major residential estates remain dry for weeks.
Tankers continue to thrive, blocking estate roads and charging desperate families outrageous fees for basic survival.
Sakaja’s administration has delivered zero tangible results in expanding last-mile distribution infrastructure or dismantling water tanker syndicates.
6. A Call to Action for Nairobi Voters
Water is a fundamental human right enshrined under Article 43(1)(d) of the Constitution of Kenya. Access to clean and safe water in reasonable quantities is not a favor from City Hall—it is a constitutional mandate.
When municipal taps run dry while commercial water bowsers thrive, it is proof of a compromised, profit-driven system. It is time for Nairobians to hold leadership accountable:
Reject Broken Rhetoric: A leadership that cannot deliver water to your tap does not deserve your vote.
Vote for Competence: In the upcoming election, Nairobi voters must unite to vote out Sakaja’s administration and usher in a Governor who understands the plight of the people, confronts cartels head-on, and restores dignity to our homes.
“In the 1980s, our parents enjoyed steady, reliable tap water from well-managed municipal sources. Today, under Sakaja, we are reduced to buying water from lorries like refugees in our own city. A city where citizens buy water from tankers while municipal pipes sit dry is not suffering from a shortage of water—it is suffering from a shortage of leadership.”
Wakili Njenga
Share this widely on WhatsApp estate groups, chamas, and with every Nairobi voter you know!
To join the conversation or reach out, contact Wakili Njenga at: wakilishupavu@gmail.com
