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City residents wait for rains to end water shortage


The water shortage being witnessed in most parts of Nairobi will escalate if it does not rain, an official said on Monday.

Water executive Peter Kimori asked Nairobians to pray for rain.

The situation has been made worse by the Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company employees’ strike, now in its second week.

Services have been paralysed and normal water rationing seriously affected.

Water vendors have taken advantage of the situation to make a kill.

For seven months, Nairobi Water has been rationing supply, after levels at Ndakaini dam in Murang’a County dropped to less than 30 per cent.

“There is water stress in the city because rains have failed. There is nothing we can do other than pray,” Mr Kimori told the Nation.

He added that the devolved unit intended to drill more than 40 boreholes by last month but only 19 had been completed, adding that officials were working on plans to provide long term solutions to the problem.

Mr Kimori blamed the defunct City Council of Nairobi for not investing in water infrastructure.

Some residents have petitioned the county assembly over the crisis and called on the Nairobi Water board not to sell the state corporation.

The petition was presented to the assembly’s Water Committee, which launched investigations into the reported planned sale.

Workers’ union officials face the committee today to provide information on the “sale”.

On Wednesday, Nairobi Water chief executive Philip Gichuki will appear before the panel while the board will be quizzed on Thursday.