Small business owners affected by wetlands order

Small-scale traders and artisans have been hit hardest by the Kenya government’s decision to protect wetlands in Nairobi.

The authorities have moved to evict waste management workers and mechanics along Nairobi River, yet big businesses sitting on the delicate environment have only been given notice to modify their facilities. The threat is that they will be demolished if they do not make the necessary adjustments.

Mechanics and waste management workers, especially those at the Globe Cinema roundabout, have been violently evicted. The National Environment Management Authority (Nema) says that it was justified to evict them because adequate notices were served.

According to Nema’s director general, Dr Muusya Mwinzi, the evictions were part of the authority’s efforts to clean Nairobi River.

Six people, including a policeman, were seriously injured when the workers evicted from Kijabe Street engaged law enforcers in running battles.

Dr Mwinzi says the authority, in conjunction with the City Council, has already issued notices to all the people operating within 10 metres of the river.

“This applies to all the three rivers, Nairobi River, Ngong River and Mathare River. They must all vacate because we are determined to complete our work,” he said.

Last month, Lands minister James Orengo announced that owners of the affected buildings located on river banks and wetlands had been ordered to clear them and surrender the titles to the State or face forceful demolition.

Residential areas

Among the “big boys”, the owners of two supermarkets, two parking bays, five undeveloped plots and 15 residential buildings in the west of the city have until the end of the month to make modifications. Some schools and hospitals located in the South B area are also said to have been built on environmentally fragile areas.

The residential areas to be affected include upmarket apartments in Kileleshwa, through where the Ngong River flows. A red “X” has also been put on some buildings in the highly populated Zimmerman Estate, through which Kamiti River flows.

According to Lands permanent secretary Dorothy Angote, 35 notices have been issued asking developers to adjust their buildings, including demolitions.

The government has been faulted for the delay in the enactment of a land policy now said to be stuck between Mr Orengo’s office and the Cabinet. The policy was set to be presented to the Cabinet for approval last October but up to date this has not been realised.

According to Kenya Alliance of Resident Associations boss Steven Mutoro, only a new land policy will save the country’s environment. Mr Mutoro says uncontrolled development is a danger to the residents and to the environment.

Water shortages

Nairobi, like other big towns in the country, faces persistent water shortages, partly as a result of the degradation of wetlands. Already, one of the main sources of water in the 1960s and 1970s, the Nairobi Dam, no longer exists. And Nairobi River has been reduced to a stream as human encroachment threatens to choke it completely.

But as the government seeks to reclaim riparian reserves, wetlands and other areas that were illegally allocated to individuals, it must be ready to face a new challenge of joblessness among the youth. A large population depends on establishments that have been earmarked for clearance.