City Hall waives fees for drainage repairs

What you need to know:

  • “The Governor must stop passing the buck and take full responsibility for failure to put in place adequate mitigation measures against flooding and collapse of buildings. We want to see heads rolling and this time not for public relations stunt.” said Kara chief executive Henry Ochieng.
  • City Hall has also come under fire for failing to bring down weak buildings such as the six-storey structure that collapsed in Huruma over the weekend due to flooding. 21 people had been reported dead and 65 missing by the time of going to press.

City Hall has waived permit fees for homes and businesses undertaking drainage repairs following heavy rains that have left homesteads and other buildings flooded.

Building owners are ordinarily supposed to seek City Hall’s approval and pay a license fee of Sh4,000 before undertaking any repairs to their drainage systems or frontages.

Homes and businesses like Yaya Centre basement have over the last one week experienced flooding blamed on a clogged and insufficient drainage system in the city.

“Fees for minor domestic drainage clearing, improvement and maintenance works have been waived during this period,” Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero said in a statement.

“Where the scope of the works is large in magnitude and affect large areas, persons are encouraged to contact the County Government for technical advice and assistance.”

Mr Kidero added that the waiver is meant to offer relief to those whose premises are prone to flooding due to overstretched storm drainage systems especially in low-lying areas.

New or major repairs will however have to go through the normal process of drawing maps and seeking approvals.

Passing the buck

The waiver comes as the Kenya Alliance of Resident Associations (Kara) blamed the county government for failing to improve storm water drainage infrastructure even after similar incidents were reported last year.

“The Governor must stop passing the buck and take full responsibility for failure to put in place adequate mitigation measures against flooding and collapse of buildings. We want to see heads rolling and this time not for public relations stunt.” said Kara chief executive Henry Ochieng.

City Hall has also come under fire for failing to bring down weak buildings such as the six-storey structure that collapsed in Huruma over the weekend due to flooding. 21 people had been reported dead and 65 missing by the time of going to press.

An update by the Kenya Red Cross Society yesterday said that the flooding in the city has seen approximately 792 households affected by floods in their residential estates.

The weatherman has predicted that the city and other parts of the country are likely to continue receiving more than average rainfall.

“I am deeply saddened by the scenes, pictures and videos of the aftermath of recent heavy rains. My prayers and thoughts are with all those who have been affected in one way or the other,” said governor Kidero.

Flooding has also affected transport in the city with about 12 flooding flashpoints along city roads identified by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA).

City Hall said it has put emergency responders on standby to rescue motorists stranded in these sections.