Organize Protests- Sakaja Dares Nairobi Residents Over Poor Drainage

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, on Thursday, May 4 challenged activists Boniface Mwangi and Hanifa Adan to stage protests across the capital city over the poor drainage situation that has bedevilled Pipeline Estate residents for years.

Adan had once again exposed the deplorable state of the residential area's drainage system on Twitter, imploring the governor to take immediate action while lamenting that raising the issue offline was fruitless.

"Hey, guys. Here I am again with Pipeline. These problems will never get solved on the ground so if we make enough noise we might achieve something with this.

"Pipeline has been like this for over 20 years. Ignored, neglected and abandoned. Sakaja promised to fix this. Please fix," she wrote.

Collage image of stagnant water in Pipeline Estate in Nairobi as part of the sewage menace. /TWITTER.HONEYFARSAFI

The images she shared depicted the deplorable state of the roads and drainage through the estate worsened by the heavy rains across the city and the country at large, turning the streets into filth.

Despite Sakaja assuring her that "It'll be fixed, in the works", Mwangi put the governor on the spot for failing to respond to Adan's pleas for help for several months without action taken as a result.

The renowned activist challenged the governor to tour the residences to see the situation for himself.

"Pipeline pigsty. Adan has been tweeting and tagging Sakaja for months. Sakaja, come visit Pipeline and see how dirty it is. If the residents would organize a protest, and disrupt their lives for a day, something might happen," Mwangi quoted his co-activist.

The first-time governor answered that he had been to Pipeline to affirm Adan's sentiments and had taken necessary measures to conclusively deal with the drainage menace. He also dared Mwangi to organize protests to put pressure on him to address the problem.

"Been there more than you have. It’s been a problem for a while. Sustainable solution in the works.

"Road, drainage, solid waste management. It’ll be sorted. But if you’d like, you can organize a protest. I don’t mind," Sakaja replied.

Pipeline has been in the spotlight for years over the filth situation, with no solid situation to address it made. High population and negligence by private developers were revealed to be major causes of the menace.

Adan had been sharing posts of different estates across Nairobi with poor living conditions, calling upon the governor to take action. The matter of sewage at the Pipeline estate forced residents to flock to Twitter to demand Sakaja to intervene on the problem, with Adan frequently sharing the deplorable situation at the Kware residential area of the estate while persuading the governor to issue a response.

“Pipeline's population is growing daily, constructions are happening day and night but amenities are not keeping up. Kindly make Pipeline work. When the rains come it's going to be even worse,” Elvies Kibisu weighed in.

Others blamed the landlords in the area for aggravating the situation, with some underlining that there was more to the garbage situation as some buildings are sitting on sewer lines, water lines and public land.

Adan was however forced to withdraw her complaints calling leaders to account because she was receiving threats from cartels known to threaten the development of Nairobi city. She went viral after she highlighted a similar situation in Korogocho slums on November 4, 2022, which got Sakaja's attention.

The Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC), a subsidiary of the Nairobi County Government, met landlords of the densely populated estate on November 11, 2022, as part of intervention measures to solve the problem.