This archive report was first published on 27 August 2019.
On August 27, 2019, the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) took a crucial step towards protecting Nairobi River by shutting down four companies in the city's Industrial Area for discharging life-threatening waste into the river.
The companies shut down include Modern Lithographic (K) Ltd, Apex Limited, Thorlite Kenya Ltd, and Kamongo Paper Recycling Company.
According to Nema Director General Mamo B. Mamo, Kamongo Company does not have an efficient waste water treatment plant, leading to the discharge of untreated waste water into the environment.
"Kamongo company has been discharging into the environment without treating their waste water to the public sewer," said Mr Mamo.
Nema officials also visited Chloride Exide company and issued improvement orders, stating that further tests would be conducted to ascertain whether the company is in line with regulations.
The shutdowns follow an expose by Nation on the pollution of Nairobi River, which was part of a two-month investigative project dubbed "Toxic Flow".
The project highlighted the severe pollution of the river, which is suffocating under a cocktail of raw, untreated sewage from various sources, including lavish estates in Nairobi.
More than 4,000 slum dwellers have encroached on the river's path, exploiting its water for domestic and commercial purposes, transforming the stream into a large open sewer.
The national environment management agency is expected to continue with the inspection of high-risk facilities in the Industrial Area.
