Public toilets in Nairobi’s CBD have been closed by the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS). – By Gerald Gekara.
NMS, led by General Mohamed Badi, arrived at the decision after several rival groups battled over facility operations. NMS ordered the closure on Thursday, May 13.
The cash collectors, administrators, and Nairobians who were reacting to the call of nature were chased away by police officers and NMS officials who stormed the public toilets.
Residents in Nairobi’s central business district (CBD) will now be able to use public toilets in the CBD for free, pending the release of new service guidelines next week.
Despite the lack of accurate statistics, City Hall claims there are 68 public restrooms in the city, with 18 in the CBD.
The facilities are operated by a public-private arrangement that began in 1999 when the defunct Nairobi City Council enlisted the help of the corporate sector to find a solution to the facilities’ deplorable conditions.
Many others were privatized under Nairobi’s first governor, Evans Kidero’s, administration, citing a shortage of ability to run them.
Nairobi county operations have been writhed with cartels and rival gangs that control certain sections of the city’s complex revenue collection systems.
