Nairobi residents have been given a reprieve from the usual county application and approval procedures for minor building repairs as the city steps up preparations for the anticipated El Niño rains.
Governor Johnson Sakaja said the waiver will allow residents to undertake minor repairs to their houses and compounds and install gutters before the onset of the rains.
Sakaja said he had instructed the Nairobi County Secretary to issue formal communication on the temporary waiver, which will remain in place until the onset of the El Niño rains.
“I have waived the application and approval processes for minor building repairs in Nairobi from now until the onset of the El Niño rains,” Sakaja said during an inspection of preparedness works across the city.
“This will give our people an opportunity to put up gutters and undertake minor repairs to their houses and compounds as they prepare for the coming rains,” he added.
The governor’s announcement specifically refers to minor building repairs and gutter installation. The county’s formal communication is expected to provide the official details on the scope and implementation of the waiver.
Residents undertaking work outside the category of minor repairs should therefore confirm the applicable county requirements before proceeding, particularly where proposed works involve more extensive construction or structural changes.
The waiver comes as Nairobi County intensifies measures to reduce the risk of flooding across the city.
Nairobi intensifies flood preparations
The county is deploying additional earth-moving machinery to identified flood hotspots while teams widen, deepen and desilt drainage channels.
Sakaja said the county would also continue clearing vegetation and removing waste from drainage corridors and waterways to improve the movement of stormwater.
The governor singled out illegal dumping as a major challenge to the city’s flood-mitigation efforts, saying waste dumped in waterways was obstructing stormwater flow.
County teams, he said, had found mattresses, blankets, plastics and other waste blocking waterways.
“Illegal dumping remains a major challenge to our drainage efforts. We have found mattresses, blankets, plastics and other waste blocking waterways,” Sakaja said.
He warned that enforcement officers would take action against people found dumping waste illegally.
Sakaja also issued a warning to private garbage collectors accused of dumping waste in open spaces, saying their licences could be permanently withdrawn if they were caught violating the rules.
“To private garbage collectors dumping waste in open spaces, your days are numbered,” he said.
The county is coordinating its preparedness programme with several agencies, including the Nairobi County Government, Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA), Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA), Kenya Red Cross and the Nairobi Rivers Commission.
The agencies will operate under what Sakaja described as a “One County, One Plan, One Command” approach.
The framework is intended to bring the agencies together in coordinating preparedness and emergency response during the rainy period.
Nairobi has also established an Emergency Operations Centre and a dedicated emergency hotline, 1508, for residents to report flooding and other emergencies.
The county has identified 27 drop-off points and shelters where residents can be evacuated if relocation becomes necessary.
The locations are part of the city’s contingency planning as authorities prepare for possible flooding and other emergencies associated with heavy rainfall.
A four-day multi-agency simulation exercise is also planned later this month to test Nairobi’s emergency response systems and assess how effectively the agencies can coordinate during a crisis.
Sakaja said drainage clearance operations would continue as part of the wider preparedness programme, with county teams focusing on unclogging drainage systems, deepening and widening waterways, clearing vegetation and removing waste from drainage corridors.
For Nairobi residents, the temporary waiver provides an opportunity to undertake the minor repairs and gutter installation specifically mentioned by the governor while the county continues its flood-preparedness operations.
Residents should also take note of the emergency hotline 1508 and the county’s planned evacuation arrangements in case flooding makes relocation necessary.
