Peter Kenneth vows to clean city in 90 days if elected governor

Independent candidate for Nairobi governor Peter Kenneth says he will clean up the city in 90 days if elected in August.

At a meeting with traders in Kahawa West, Mr Kenneth, a former Gatanga MP, accused his rival and incumbent Evans Kidero of leaving the city unclean.

He argued his priority will be to rid the city of mounds of garbage and ensure clean water for city dwellers.

“We will remove all the garbage in 90 days. I want to see water going to every area of Nairobi. Every slum should get water and it is my passion that that water is available for free to these slums,” he told residents at Kahawa West.

Mr Kenneth, who lost out in the Jubilee nominations to Senator Mike Sonko before opting to go independent, has chosen a "door-to-door" campaign strategy in what he says will allow him to understand the issues affecting Nairobi residents.

RAINY SEASON

And in one of the sessions on Tuesday, he said he will focus on providing the basic amenities to residents starting with sanitation and piped water.

Nairobi gets about 460,000m3 of water every day from dams such as Ndakaini and Sasumua. But these largely depend on the rainy season, meaning that water rationing or even total cut-off is usual.

Mr Kenneth argues this water situation coupled with uncollected garbage has added an extra burden on locals because they spend more money treating waterborne diseases.

“Kidero’s hospitals have no drugs, even when they budget for them every year. We must make sure we have clean markets where traders can do business in dignity and garbage trucks are available to collect the dirt on time,” he said.

If he wins and pulls through that promise for clean water to slums, he would have delivered what most politicians have promised by failed in the past.

ILLEGAL CONNECTIONS

Mr Kenneth claims he will ensure piped water is supplied for free to these areas that host more than half of Nairobi’s estimated three million people but receive just 10 per cent of piped water in the city.

As it is today, residents in these shanties either depend on illegal piping or buy water from vendors for up to Sh20 per 20-litre container.

The former Gatanga MP also blames the situation on cartels that he said are thriving in the city.