The government has vowed to ensure that the Nairobi River is thoroughly cleaned up within the next 18 months.
Environment and Forestry Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said the government has already put on notice companies contributing to the pollution of the river to cease their actions.
"What you see behind me is not a river, in 18 months we want to see a clean Nairobi. We have put on notice companies, slaughterhouse and Nairobi sewerage companies,’’ the CS said.
The clean-up is currently an ongoing target on the entire Nairobi River stretch from Naivasha Road to Athi River at Z-corner Juja Farm.
Duale was speaking at the Nairobi Arboretum on Thursday when he led Kenyans in marking Mazinga Day to push for the government’s efforts to plant 15 billion trees by 2032.
The State t renamed Utamaduni Day to Mazingira Day in April 2024, after President William Ruto signed the Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendment Bill, 2024).
The Mazinga Day, which is marked on October 10, replaced the historical Moi Day which was shelved under the 2010 Constitution.
Duale said on Thursday that the government will, in the coming days, gazette a colour-coding mechanism for waste found in one's homes to separate recyclable and non-recyclable waste.
"(To) Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja in Nairobi, we want to know where garbage collectors are taking the garbage," Duale said.
The CS later lead Kenyans in cleaning parts of the Nairobi River.
The government says that the changes being pushed are aimed at encouraging Kenyans to participate in conserving the environment by planting trees.
Duale revealed that Kenyans have planted 481 million trees since January 2024, saying the spirited efforts are geared towards mitigating the adverse effects of climate change.
President William Ruto has called on Kenyans from all walks of life to plant at least a hundred trees each to deal with the adverse effects of climate change.
The massive afforestation campaign aims to reduce greenhouse emissions and mitigate climate change effects.