Nairobi Governor Sakaja Johnson has given Nairobi City County and Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) engineers and contractors a 14-day deadline to accelerate and complete ongoing drainage and road works as the city continues preparations for the anticipated El Niño rains.
Speaking during a meeting with KURA Director-General Eng. Silas Kinoti, County and KURA engineers, and contractors at Barabara Plaza in Nairobi, Sakaja urged teams to sustain the pace of ongoing works, prioritise flood-prone areas and complete critical interventions before the rains intensify.
Sakaja said the County and its partners have been undertaking drainage and road works across the city as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen Nairobi’s preparedness, adding that the focus must now be intensified on areas identified as El Niño hotspots.
“The weatherman has told us what we need to do, and the El Niño rains are upon us. As we continue with the works we have been doing in the city, let us remember that, for now, the priority is El Niño hotspots,” Sakaja said.
The Governor told engineers and contractors to view the ongoing works as a life-saving imperative rather than routine infrastructure maintenance.
“As you carry out your duties, remember that you are not just doing work; you are saving lives. Your focus must be to work more, do more and, ultimately, save more lives,” he said.
Sakaja said Nairobians were primarily concerned about having roads and drainage systems fixed, regardless of which level of government was responsible for them.
“Nairobians do not know which road belongs to the national government and which one belongs to the County. All they want is to see work being done. So let us work together and demonstrate the seriousness that this situation demands. We cannot let our people down,” he said.
The Governor directed teams to give priority to roads and neighbourhoods that have repeatedly experienced flooding, saying known hotspots must receive urgent attention.
“The roads and areas that people constantly complain about — those that flood whenever it rains — must be our priority. We need to focus more on these hotspots so that we can address them in time. Given the urgency, we need to move much faster,” Sakaja said.
Eng. Kinoti said KURA had assigned engineers to specific areas and would ensure that the required drainage works were undertaken within the next 14 days.
“We have a schedule for every engineer and their respective work areas. There is no time left, and we must be serious and do what needs to be done. The drainage works that are required must be undertaken, and this needs to be done within the next two weeks,” Kinoti said.
He assured the Governor that KURA would intensify road and drainage works, with particular focus on drainage infrastructure as the city prepares for the rains.
“Governor, we assure you that we shall do our best as KURA to take our work seriously and complete what needs to be done, from drainage works to roads, before the rains. Our main focus is on drainage works. We want to ensure that we do everything possible to prevent loss of life,” Kinoti said.
The directive reinforces Nairobi’s ongoing preparedness efforts, with teams required to accelerate critical works, address known flood hotspots and strengthen protection for residents ahead of the anticipated rains.
