I stood on the banks of one of the Nairobi River, shocked, but not surprised. It was a hot day and the toxic smells from the river warned me to keep a considerable distance.

At the Kibera area near the Jamhuri Dam where one of the Nairobi River streams passes, water barely flows. It is soaked with human waste and plastics which clog the river channel. The view is appalling.

As it flows downstream, human and industrial solid wastes choke the river channel and make it hazardous to humans and animals. The only sign of life is the widespread growth of algae and the bacteria that thrive on the decomposing sewage.

If you follow the river?s course you will soon meet the Nairobi Dam not far from Wilson Airport. Here you see what became of the Dam. The once scenic dam is now a depression that collects sewage from nearby settlements as the polluted river makes its way into the city.  The colour of the water as it exits the Dam at the weir tells the whole story – it is black and smelly.

The quality of the water in the river cannot sustain life. In particular, lead levels (heavy metal pollutant that can cause cancer) as analysed from samples along one of the streams are way above the safe levels.  In fact it is a danger to all living organisms.

And to think that people are farming by the river and irrigating using water from the river! This just shows the extent to which the quality of the river affects our health down to the vegetables that may end on your plates tonight.

It is unbelievable that these filthy, poisoned waters form the veins that should supply life to the Largest City in East Africa. 

The Nairobi River Basin has not always been like this. In fact, the Maasai tribe named it Enkare Nairobii, which means ?a place of cool waters? from the name of the Capital city derives.  The British Colony also saw this as a precious source of life and set up their headquarters here.  This gave birth to what is now East Africa?s largest city, once famously known as the ?Green City in the Sun?. The River that once carried life now has death flowing in its wake.

Here comes the big question, ?What happened?? Politics, greed, corruption, neglect, poverty, unplanned development, uncontrolled urbanization and poor waste management to say the least, happened.

However, the state of the Nairobi River was realised by UNEP in the early 90?s and an effort to improve its quality and provide safe water to Nairobi residents was initiated. This was the Nairobi River Basin Programme (NRBP), which brought together numerous organisations including UNDP, IUCN, Government Ministries, NGOs and the private companies.

NRBP?s main objectives were to promote a clean environment along the streams that make up the River, raise awareness and improve the quality of water. This was achieved to some degree in some areas, but the real achievement was in the raising of awareness on the pollution of the River Basin.

I remember the campaigns and cleanups that brought people together - NGOs, students from local schools and many other volunteers - to clean a stretch of the River. Thousands of tons of garbage were removed from this stretch.  Many trees were planted and the area was cleared of informal businesses such as car washes and garages. This became known as the Demo Stretch.  The cleanup showed Nairobi residents what they could achieve if they worked together. Until now the Demo Stretch is cleaner and void of shabby structures of informal settlements.  It is a garden that you can relax and have a picnic.

The NRBP project does not seem to have achieved most of its initial objectives. Alas! The river now appears to have been forgotten. No one talks about it anymore. No one complains about its horrible state.  I beg to ask...If we could achieve that much on that stretch then why did we stop? Why do we still have trash in the river? Why are there chemicals and sewers still flowing into the rivers? Why aren?t there any fish in ?the place of cool waters?? What can we do to restore Nairobi and the Nairobi River back to its lost glory?