This archive report was first published on 17 June 2020.
Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company has kicked off a crackdown on water vendors in Nairobi, introducing new measures aimed at weeding out cartels in the water supply business.
As of June 17, 2020, all registered water tankers and exhausters operating in Nairobi will be inspected and issued with a compliance certificate to continue operating.
Those who fail to obtain the certificate by July 2, 2020, will be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law, said Engineer Nahashon Muguna, the Managing Director of Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company.
Under the new measures, water tankers and exhausters will be subjected to regular inspections at designated locations, including the Wilson Airport water reservoir in South C and the Kariobangi Sewerage Treatment Works.
Operators will also be required to provide a quality certificate of the source of water issued by a certified government laboratory, display their business name and contact information on the tanker, and ensure that the tanker is painted sky blue and the interior is lined with food-grade bitumen.
Exhausters will also be required to present clearance certificates from the National Environmental Management Authority (Nema) and pay annual discharge fees before a sub-license can be issued.
The new measures follow a directive by the Water Services Regulatory Board (Wasreb) in April this year that all water vendors using bowsers within the metropolitan area apply for registration and undergo strict vetting and licensing before being given the go-ahead to operate.
