Westgate’s car park and part of Nakumatt Ukay’s commercial building and its entire car park are among structures that have encroached on riparian reserves according to a report by the Parliamentary Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. However, the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) lost the appeals to have these structures removed.
On Wednesda, NEMA demolished the South End Mall which was standing on the Mutuini-Ngong River along Langa’ta Road despite a court order. The owners of the mall had been given a three-months notice while the case regarding a potential demolition had been in court since 2016.
The Nairobi River Regeneration Project
Recently, the Committee on enforcement agencies that are working on the Nairobi Regeneration Project has been clearing and conserving the riparian reserves of the Nairobi River Systems and halting the discharge of sewerage and effluent to these rivers. The efforts have been as a result of a directive from the President demanding immediate action against the pollution of the Nairobi Rivers.
Structures on Riparian Reserves Marked for Demolition
Other structures that the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources and NEMA marked for demolition during an inspection on June 26 and 28, 2018, are Fuata Nyayo informal settlements along the Ngong River and a boundary wall of the proposed Riverside suites. The company behind the proposed Riverside suites is GEM Invest Limited and the contact persons are Dr Evans Kidero and Ms Adongo Ngure.
The report also recommends the removal of a temporary wall on plot Lr. No. 209/18650, Chiromo Road/Arboretum drive. The project proposal, which had not started, entails the construction of aristocrats’ apartments. In addition, Taj Apartments’ boundary wall and part of the car park on Riverside Drive are marked for demolition while a wastewater treatment plant at Village Market will be shut down once a sewer line is built in the area.
The Presidential directive to halt the pollution of Nairobi Rivers comes at a time when the cleanliness of the Nairobi City County is being criticised as little remains done to take the City back to its glory days. Additionally, the structures on the riparian reserves have been blamed for the Nairobi floods that cause havoc during the heavy rains as was experienced earlier this year.
