State: Climate WorX has restored nearly half of Nairobi River

The Nairobi River restoration programme has gained momentum, with nearly half of the targeted 47km stretch cleaned, the government has said.

The government recruited 20,000 youth under the Climate WorX initiative to restore the river, which cuts through several settlement areas including Mukuru Kwa Reuben slums.

Climate WorX initiative is a flagship environmental and employment programme aimed at rehabilitating critical ecosystems, particularly urban river corridors, while creating job opportunities for Kenyan youth.

An aerial view of the Nairobi River/MNA

The programme launched by President William Ruto in September 2024 was developed in response to severe flooding along riparian areas, which led to the displacement of residents in Mukuru Kwa Reuben, Mathare, Kibra, and Dandora.

The initiative was designed as a multi-sectoral effort, incorporating contributions from the State Department for Housing and Urban Development, National Government Administration Officers (NGAO), the National Youth Service (NYS), and local communities.

Aerial view of Muruku Kwa Reuben. /MINA

Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen and PS Raymond Omollo on Friday toured the Climate WorX initiative along the River Ngong in Mukuru Kwa Reuben to assess progress of the cleanup exercise.

Omollo noted that with just 75 days after its launch, the cleanup exercise was progressing well particularly in informal settlements.

Omollo said 30,000 people who have since been displaced from areas bordering the river bank have been enlisted for social housing and will be given first priority during the allocation of housing units.

He said the plan is to expand the Climate WorX initiative to the other 46 counties and increase the number of youth enrolled under the programme to 50,000.

“It has been a good learning process three months since we started this, and when we expand it to the other counties, we shall increase the number of those employed here in Nairobi,” he said.

Interior PS Raymond Omollo and CS Kipchumba Murkomen at Mukuru Kwa Reuben during the assessment tour of Climate WorX initiative, February 7, 2025. /MINA

The PS said as a result of the initiative offering job opportunities to the area youth, the security situation within Mukuru Kwa Reuben and its environs has considerably improved.

“I would like to urge you to continue with that trend and thank leaders from the National Government Administration Officers for the work they are doing with you,” PS Omollo told Mukuru Kwa Reuben residents.

He asked the regional and county commissioners to work closely with the community and inform them about all government initiatives that are still in the pipeline so that they become beneficiaries once they are rolled out.

On his part, Murkomen said that as part of the initiative to enhance service delivery and fair distribution of employment and other opportunities, the government plans to increase the number of subcounties in Nairobi from 11 to 17, to match the number of constituencies.

He said this will enhance the chances of youth recruitment in the police and the army.

“When people are being recruited, you are all taken to City Stadium, and there’s a possibility many youth don’t get picked. To ensure the jobs are brought closer to you, in the next two o three months we will increase subcounties to 17 so that every constituency has its own subcounty and have their own deputy county commissioner so that during job recruitment into police or army, you all have equal chance,” he said.