Residents of D5 area in Kayole, Embakasi Central Sub-county in Nairobi are living in fear of disease outbreak. This is due to a broken sewer that has been releasing dirty water for sometime now, affecting their health and businesses. When we visited along the path that the sewage is flowing, there are various residential houses, churches, business including hotels, salons and bakery among others. “This issue has really affected us and as you can see we have closed our shops, you can’t eat or work I have been forced to close my shop. This problem started last year. When it start flowing on Monday like it did, it goes up to another Monday,” said Hellen Auma, a business lady who does tailoring along the path. She added: “Children who have closed school are now playing with this dirty water. This has forced me to be on the watch to chase and warn them and there is possibility of diseases.” Auma, who says the sewer has affected her business is not alone She says she recently reported to a Nyumba Kumi official but so far no action has been taken to work on it. She is not the only business person affected, Diana Wanjiru is a salonist who has lost income and customers due to the awful smell. When we entered her salon, there was a customer who had covered her mouth with a mask to avoid inhaling the stench.“I have lost many customers because they are not willing to sit and be attended to with this bad smell. Infact, one told me she will come back to my salon after the problem is resolved,” said Wanjiru. Ruth Kamolu, who is a caretaker of a house that is along the affected path says she is on the verge of losing tenants due to the sewage.“This issue has been here for long, it comes and goes. We have reported to the relevant authorities, they come, repair, go and the issue repeats itself again,” said Kamolu.When we reached to Jackson Kinyua, a sub-county public health officer, he referred us to Nairobi Water and Sewarage Company offices located at Shujaa Mall within Kayole. “They are the one responsible for repairing broken sewage lines and therefore are the best to comment about it but we have raised this issue with them,” he said.
We visited the offices and found a lady officer, who called a Mr Alex, who is incharge of the area but who was out of office.
He said officers had been sent to the area to repair the broken sewage and the issue will be sorted today.
