President William Ruto has appointed former Starehe MP Margret Wanjiru as the chairperson of the Nairobi Rivers Commission.
The president also appointed former nominated senator Millicent Omanga a member of the commission even as he moved the commission from the office of the president to the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development.
Both Omanga and Wanjiru were initially appointed Chief Administrative Secretaries in the miniseries of Interior and Cooperatives respectively before the course declared the CAS positions null and void.
President Ruto made the appointments through a Gazette Notice dated October 25, 2024.
Consequently, Ruto fired Pamela Olet who has been serving as the chairperson of the commission.
Omanga is taking up the position of former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu whose appointment to the commission was challenged in court
President William Ruto launched the Nairobi Rivers Commission in February 2023.
The team hired on December 1, 2022, was also to examine previous reports of efforts to reclaim the Nairobi River and incorporate the lessons into the new drive.
The commission is to coordinate the activities of the various players engaged in the rehabilitation, protection and restoration of the riverine basin.
It was also to monitor compliance with the laws and regulations governing the environment of the basin and its catchment areas in collaboration with State departments, agencies and/or ministries.
The commission is to examine previous reports of efforts to reclaim the Nairobi River and incorporate the lessons into the new drive.
The commission was also to coordinate the activities of the various players engaged in the rehabilitation, protection and restoration of the riverine basin.
It was also to monitor compliance with the laws and regulations governing the environment of the basin and its catchment areas in collaboration with State departments, agencies and/or ministries.
The initiative aims at restoring the lost glory of the Kenyan capital which the head of state said had deteriorated environmentally over the years, thus losing its ‘City in the Sun’ status of the yore.
In March 2024, a report by the audio general revealed that the Nairobi Rivers Commission members were drawing irregular payments to the tune of Sh17.8 million.
Auditor General Nancy Gathungu reported the anomaly in a review of the State Department for Devolution’s books and said the same should be recovered.
The audit revealed that the department was handed Sh100 million by the Office of the Deputy President (where the commission was domiciled) for the operations of the Nairobi Rivers Commission.
From the allocation, the State Department paid the commissioners as full-time employees for seven months.
But Gathungu said the appointment letters and Gazette Notice [No14891] appointing the commissioners did not specify appointments on a full-time basis.
“Further, the legislative mandate for full-time appointment of the commissioners was not provided for audit review,” she said.
Gathungu said the absence of the requisite documentation “renders the salary amount drawn for full-time engagement irregular and recoverable.”
“In the circumstances, the regularity of the expenditure of Sh17,761,164 could not be confirmed and management was in breach of the Gazette Notice,” she said.
The current commission chaired by Pamela also comprises Mumo Musuva from Nairobi county and Grace Senewa of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry.
Also in the team are Eva Muhia – representing Riverine Communities, Elizabeth Wathuti – civil society, Carlota Dal Lago – the private sector, Eng Elija Biama – academia and Duncan Ojwang – academia.