This archive report was first published on 26 October 2019.
Published on October 26, 2019, a night of chaos unfolded in Nairobi's South B as Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC) staff dug up a trench to access an underground water pipe, leaving an open ditch that hindered residents' access to their homes.
The incident occurred at Golden Gate Drive, where residents claim the staff's actions were motivated by greed for overtime pay.
According to Ms. Hilda Mwangi, a resident, the NCWSC workers arrived at around 7 pm on Tuesday to begin a pipe replacement process without notice.
Ms. Mwangi told Nairobi News that most residents only discovered the impact of the nocturnal works the following morning, leaving them stranded.
“Residents are unable to use their cars as vehicles are trapped inside,” Ms. Mwangi complained on Thursday.
Her father, a senior citizen, was among those affected, sliding on the freshly unearthed mud and falling to the ground due to a pre-existing spinal surgery.
Ms. Mwangi added that other residents were thoroughly inconvenienced, with small children having to be carried by school bus drivers to navigate the mud.
This was not the first time NCWSC worked at the estate at night, with a similar incident occurring in April when an underground pipe burst near an electricity cable.
