This archive report was first published on 20 August 2019.
Kenya's rivers are a ticking time bomb, and it's time for the government to take action. The Nation's week-long expose on the country's rivers of poison has galvanized public discourse on the mismanagement of natural resources and the attendant environmental and health hazards.
However, the political establishment's response has been woefully inadequate. No political leader has spoken out about the menace, demonstrating a lack of goodwill to deal with environmental deprivation.
During election campaigns, politicians often pontificate about environmental management, but when it comes to taking concrete action, they remain silent. The Water and Sanitation Cabinet Secretary, Simon Chelugui, has issued warnings to polluters and challenged regional water agencies to take action, but these warnings lack the sense of urgency required to address the crisis.
Factories and individuals are knowingly encroaching on river basins and dumping effluents into the waters, but the authorities are failing to take action. The geographies and locations of these polluters are well-documented, but nothing has been done to hold them accountable.
Compliance with environmental safety is a legal imperative, and agencies such as the National Environmental Management Authority have the power to enforce regulations. However, they have failed to take action against wrongdoers, resorting instead to feeble statements that exhibit helplessness.
Nairobi County Government is the greatest culprit and most affected by the pollution, yet it has remained silent on the issue. The city's residents are exposed to dangerous chemicals and fumes from the river, and the city's food supply is contaminated.
It's time for the government to take action and hold polluters accountable. We demand that the Ministries of Water and Sanitation, Health, Environment, and Forestry collectively deal with the menace and enforce rules to rein in perpetrators. We also call for political action to stop the degradation of rivers and other water sources.
