Real cost of Ongata Rongai town growth is environmental pollution

Over the past 10 years, Ongata Rongai, a satellite town on the edge of Nairobi, has experienced uncontrolled development and exponential population growth. Because of its appealing location close to the city, it's jumped from just under 40,000 residents in 2009 to a population of over 172,000 in 2019. The most recent census data showed a high annual population growth rate of 16%.

The rapid increase in population, and accompanying development of residential buildings, has led to huge pressure on the environment, including its waterways.