President Ruto unveils bold vision for Nairobi

By Robert Mutasi

President William Ruto unveiled an ambitious plan for restoring Nairobi, Kenya's capital and an important East African hub.

In a meeting held at State House, Nairobi, Ruto joined Governor Johnson Sakaja, Members of Parliament from Nairobi, and the Nairobi Rivers Commission chaired by Bishop Margaret Wanjiru, with various key infrastructural and environmental city improvements on the table.

Priority areas include the rehabilitation of rivers Mathare, Nairobi, and Ngong, which have been enduring many bad days of late due to years of pollution caused by unchecked waste dumping and industrial runoff.

These perennial problems will be addressed by the new initiative, which would restore these rivers as sources of clean and safe water for the local communities.

The current cleaning of the river by the Nairobi Rivers Commission is an enhanced initiative after previous failed efforts that began in the early 2000s. Ruto's government has pledged Ksh1 billion toward the process.

The program shall involve the mapping and regulation of waste emissions from different industries responsible for the pollution of the rivers.

Apart from the environmental benefits, it might serve to enhance the health of the public and provide recreational places along Nairobi's watercourses, thereby enhancing the living of millions of city residents.

The government is also focusing on building key infrastructure that includes decent roads, proper lighting, and more classroom construction.

These projects are in line with Nairobi's strategic position as the gateway to East Africa, which should always be competitive and conducive enough for investment.

"I will work in tandem with the national government," reiterated Governor Sakaja, adding that infrastructural improvements and cleaning up the county will promote economic development, enhance the livability of its residents, and make Nairobi a modern metropolis.

Besides cleaning it, the government under President Ruto intends to pursue other environmentally friendly ways of managing it, such as waste-to-electricity recycling, which would ease pressure on landfills and contribute toward Kenya's renewable energy targets.

This ambitious vision forms part of a wider strategy aimed at remaking Nairobi's infrastructure and environmental landscape, hence underlining the long-term commitment of the government toward urban development and ecological sustainability in Kenya's capital.