The Nairobi Rivers Commission has issued more than 300 notices as part of an ongoing cleanup and restoration campaign targeting the Nairobi River.

In an interview on Tuesday, May 5, Commissioner Mumo Musuva said the notices issued cover the Nairobi River and its tributary, Kirichwa Kubwa, with several other sections still under review.

“We have issued so far over 300 notices, and that is only on the Nairobi River and its tributary of Kirichwa Kubwa. We are yet to get through Kirichwa Ndogo, Mathare River, Parklands, and Ngong River sections. Where the courts have guided is that they have said we must follow fair administrative action processes to notify people, engage them through public participation,” he said.

During the same interview, Musuva attributed the flooding in Nairobi to encroachment and land-related violations that have affected river corridors over the years.

“We must keep reminding each other that floods in Nairobi are not a new phenomenon. There is a lot of impunity when it comes to matters of land, and the rivers have suffered a lot because of that. We have mapped the areas, and we are going through a multi-agency team effort to demarcate the riparian zones,” he stated.

Musuva further noted that the enforcement exercise is also facing a significant number of legal challenges, with many affected parties seeking court protection as authorities continue implementing the cleanup.

“We have close to 150 court cases, and everybody is running to court to seek protection even when they know they are wrong. The law is clear, we must follow the process,” he further said.