Narok town reels in chaos despite riches

By Kipchumba Kemei

Despite its enormous resources and proximity to the world famous Masai Mara Game Reserve, Narok is an unplanned town.

Narok County Council earns about Sh1.2 billion from tourism activities in Masai Mara Game Reserve. The area is the biggest producer of beef, wheat and barley.

During the tourism peak season in July to November and the wheat harvesting season, the money circulation is about Sh200 million a day. Yet the town has no streetlights and suffers from perennial water and power shortages.

The town, 146km from Nairobi, that had been dormant since 1991 when tribal clashes erupted, is recording faster growth, albeit chaotically.

It is prone to floods, which have in the last two years, according to figures available from the local office of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, led to losses amounting to about Sh780 million.

"Business people have continued to lose because of the floods," says David Sankok, the chairman of Narok Central Business Association.

The town that is home to more than 200, 000 people, has no sewer treatment plant. The water supply system, which was put in place in 1970s, is dilapidated and can only serve a population of less than 20,000 people.

Not municipality

Its drainage system and waste disposal is inadequate and this has led to effluent and solid wastes being discharged into Narok-Enkare River, the source of water supply to the town. The town has only one disused public toilet in the main bus park.

The local town council is unable to empty the septic and sock pit tanks. It has one exhauster that serves the whole town and its environs.

Even service lanes have been grabbed and in the event of fire outbreaks, fire fighters cannot easily access the buildings. The area has no equipment to combat fire outbreaks, but the chairman says plans are under way to purchase the engines.

The council says it cannot negotiate with donors for support because of its status as county council and not a municipality.

The council chairman says the civic body has utilised all the Government grants for the service of the residents and denies claims that it had irresponsibly allocated public land to speculators.

A regional authority, Ewaso Nyiro South Development Authority, says it has secured Sh2.5 billion that will be used in fixing the floods. Managing Director Charles Sunkuli said recently that it will construct ten dams upstream and plant tress to check the speed of water, which is responsible for major soil erosion.

The town has no designated dumpsites, which makes it an eyesore to visitors, and tourists who have to pass through it on their way to the Masai Mara Game Reserve. About 450,000 tourists visit the town annually, but there are no cultural villages and other attractions that can make them spend their money in Narok town.

The available cemeteries are almost full and it is not clear if new sites have been identified as the population continues to grow.

Septic tanks

"The people who planned the town wanted it to serve a few people, mainly tourists to the Mara and communities that had migrated to the area," says Isaya Ndungu, an investor. He adds that due to its close proximity to the river, the local community found it ideal to make it a cattle auction area. It eventually expanded into a town.

The local Water Resource Management Authority Managing Director Jared Anekeyah says as part of mitigation, there is need to construct several dams to check on the speed of water draining to the town.

All the land, including wetlands, has been grabbed to give way to unplanned high rise buildings. The water table in the town is high and most buildings have no proper foundation and are likely to collapse .

Anekeyah says the town cannot be upgraded until the sewer treatment plant, estimated to cost over Sh8 billion, is in place.

"In the absence of sewer system, building owners have constructed septic tanks and soak pits. Because of the high water table, the waste water soaks, posing serious health concern, like contamination of underground water," says Anekeyah.

Release sewer

He discourages farming activities within the town and its environs to curb soil erosion, which pollutes Narok river, saying that the town should have a strategic plan so that issues that need immediate attention are resolved.

The official says the local people should be encouraged to construct tourists’ facilities and other eco-tourism ventures that do not need removal of vegetation.

The town, he adds, needs strategic partners for beautification and allocation of development facilities, such as building of hotels that will serve the tourism industry because the district is associated with the sector.

"The district has resources and rich people who can work in partnership with the town council to keep the town clean. The council should work with physical planning department and put proper parking bays, markets, roads and other facilities," says Anekeyah.

Several institutions, such as financial and learning, are coming up in Narok and need constant water supply, among other necessities.

The council collects less than 50 per cent of solid waste in the area. Most landlords release sewer at night to the only river, which is a source of clean water,

A National Environment Management Authority official avers that the council should adopt an integrated waste management approach. He says it should promote recycling and re-use of solid waste products.

Wawire says because the civic body lacks capacity and equipment to serve the town better, the county council should provide it with grants, machinery and manpower.

The local Medical Officer of Health, John Towett, says the council lacks the capacity to effectively collect waste, which poses a health hazard to residents.

"My office needs support from the council and other stakeholders to make the town clean and no efforts should be spared towards this end," he adds.

Supply system

Towett recommends the establishment of a modern sewer treatment plant, purchase of exhausters and privatization of solid waste disposal to ensure efficiency. He urges and the district commissioner’s office to assist in the establishment of Narok Town Stakeholders Forum to, among other things to ensure cleanliness.

The Managing Director for Narok Water and Sewerage Services Wilson Pere says unless the water systems are upgraded, the supply system will continue to serve less than 40 per cent of the town population.

"We would like to serve all the residents of Narok but we are unable because the machines we have are aged or dilapidated. They were installed when the population of the town was about 20,000," he adds.

Industrial waste

"There is need to expand the treatment plant, replace piping system and rehabilitate the whole system to enable us serve more people," says Pere.

Jackson Saika, the chairman of Narok Professionals Association, says the town is in a valley and a river passes through it, making human and industrial waste and agro chemicals seep into the source of water.

Francis Nkako, the World Wildlife Fund Policy and programmes officer, says the agency has sampled water in most rivers in Narok and found high concentration of metals in them because of unchecked human activities, like destruction of the environment.

The district physical planning officer, who requested anonymity, says the town had earlier been planned but needs some correction to make it relevant to the expanding population.