The government intends to extend the recently witnessed demolitions in Nairobi to other parts of the city to create more space for water and sanitation projects, Kahawa Tungu has learnt.
Despite outcry from many Kenyans following the recent Kariobangi North demolitions that left thousands homeless, the Ministry of Water insists that for the city to become habitable for its growing population, tough decisions have to be made to reclaim the reserved parcels of land.
The ministry says 60 per cent of the land in Kariobangi is yet to be reclaimed.
In about 15 acres that were recently reclaimed a wall has been erected in the area the government says will house the Kariobangi Waste Sewerage Treatment plant.
Read: Why Demolitions In Nairobi Cannot Wait Beyond September 2020 : Uhuru’s Northlands City Factor
The plant, the gov’t says, will help offload the burden from the Dandora-Ruai Water Sewerage Treatment plant, before Phase Two of the estimated Ksh21 billion Ruai plant begins later.
Other areas that Water Ministry Principal Secretary Joseph Irungu says have been mapped out for demolitions for related projects including the construction of reservoirs to hold water from the Northern Water Collector Tunnel are Karura, Loresho and Gigiri reservoirs, Kahawa West, Kabete and Karen Treatment Ponds as well as the Dandora, Kariobangi and Eastleigh Sewerage plants.
Other pieces of land on the list are Kikuyu springs, Outering tower and Farasi Lane Pumping Station.
“I know it is a very emotive issue but we have to run away from emotions and look at the reality. We cant live in a city of sewerage. Even in your own homestead when you reserve some space to construct your toilet, if you go sit on it, where will you take your sewage you will not take it to your neighbour. So even us here, we can’t take our sewage to Machakos or other counties we have to manage it here within Nairobi,” PS Irungu told Citizen TV in an interview adding that the government is armed with title deeds to ensure that the intended evictions go on smoothly.
“We want to pump more than 140,000 cubic metres of water from Northern Water Collector Tunnel to Nairobi.”
But as recently reported by this blog personal interests are largely behind the hastily demolitions in Kenya’s capital.
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