This archive report was first published on 15 July 2020.
On July 6, 2020, the national government made a significant move in the management of Nairobi's water systems by taking over the management of six bulk water systems and waste water treatment facilities.
The facilities, which were being managed by the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC), have been designated as national public waterworks, meaning their development, maintenance, and management will now be done by the national government.
According to a gazette notice issued by Water and Sanitation Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki, the management of the facilities will be taken over by the Athi Water Works Development Agency (AWWDA).
AWWDA is mandated to develop, maintain, and manage national public waterworks under the Water Act, 2016. The agency is also tasked with providing reserve capacity for the purposes of providing water when the regulatory board orders for the transfer of water service functions from a defaulting provider to another licensee.
Interestingly, NCWSC is a water provider licensed by AWWDA, which raises questions about the agency's role in the management of the water facilities.
The facilities taken over include the Ruiru II Dam and Karimenu II Dam water supply systems, Thika Dam, the Mwagu and Kimakia intakes, the Ng'ethu Water Treatment Plant, Ruiru and Sasumua dams, the Sasumua Water Treatment Plant, the Kabete Water Treatment Plant, the Ng'ethu-Gigiri transmission pipelines, the Sasumua-Kabete transmission pipelines, the Ruiru Dam-Kabete transmission pipelines, the Kabete-Karen-Ongata Rongai pipeline, and the Gigiri-CBD-Mavoko-Kitengela pipeline.
Others are the Dandora Estate Sewerage Treatment Plant and the Kariobangi Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Nairobi Dam.
The Northern Water Collector Tunnel System, comprising the Northern Collector Tunnel Phase I, Kigoro Water Treatment Plant, and water transmission pipelines from Thika Dam to Kigoro Treatment Works at the Gigiri reservoirs, has also been taken over by the national government.
The Northern Water Collector Tunnel has been under construction for years and is expected to be completed by the end of the year. It is expected to supply Nairobi with approximately 140,000 cubic meters of water every day.
