How wetlands encroachment is endangering Kenya's future

Mathare 4C Children and Adults daily balance dangerously on a sewerage line as they cross Mathare River to work, to-from school. [File, Standard]

On a rainy evening in March last year, Nairobi's South B estate turned into a lake. Residents waded through waist-high water, struggling to salvage what they could as vehicles floated like abandoned boats.

The culprit? A section of the Ngong River that had been blocked by newly constructed buildings, preventing its natural flow. What should have been a manageable downpour turned into a full-scale disaster, displacing families and destroying businesses overnight.