Chinese firm to lead Nairobi River ecological restoration in Kenya

Kenyan President William Ruto on Monday presided over the groundbreaking ceremony for the protection and restoration of the Nairobi River Basin, a project to be implemented by Energy China.

Senior government officials, executives from Energy China, and environmental advocates also attended the event, which seeks to restore the ecological health of the Nairobi River as it winds through the capital.

The Nairobi River Basin rehabilitation will run with an affordable housing project, set to be implemented over four years at a cost of 50 billion Kenyan shillings (about $388 million).

Ruto said reclaiming the Nairobi River's ecological integrity after decades of pollution will create new jobs for young people, improve public health, and enhance the capital's environmental sustainability.

"This project will give us an opportunity to expand and deepen the Nairobi River while constructing a 60-kilometer sewer line to carry wastewater, making Nairobi a cleaner and more respectable city," Ruto said.

The construction of decent homes, connected to a modern sewer system along the rehabilitated Nairobi River Basin, will facilitate the resettlement of flood victims, he added.

The Nairobi River originates from the northwestern outskirts of the Kenyan capital, flowing through southeastern residential areas, but has long suffered from severe pollution and flooding during the rainy season.

In February, the Kenyan government signed a contract with China Energy Engineering Group Guangxi Electric Power Design Institute Co., Ltd. to implement the project's first phase.

Funded by the Kenyan government, the project includes the construction of main sewage pipelines and wastewater treatment plants, protection of upstream water sources, river dredging, stormwater management, solid waste treatment, landscaping and the development of affordable housing.

Upon completion, the project is expected to mitigate flooding along the Nairobi River Basin, improve local living standards and transform the urban landscape.

The initiative will also increase land value in the metropolitan area, promote tourism, boost Kenya's economic growth, and provide significant social and environmental benefits to local communities.

Lyu Guoqing, managing director of Energy China, said the firm will leverage advanced technologies and mobilize a local workforce to accelerate the river's restoration.

According to Li Cheng, project manager at Energy China, the rehabilitation of the Nairobi River is expected to take two years, with riparian communities set to benefit from substantial environmental improvements upon completion.

(Cover: A polluted riverside neighborhood in Nairobi, Kenya, November 21, 2022. /VCG)