ARE you using water in Nairobi illegally for your car wash, business or at home?
You have up to the end of the month to regularise, the city water agency has said in a notice.
The Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company says it has launched a crackdown on users who have illegally connected metres or whose consumption is under irregular arrangement, and that culprits have up to April 30 or face prosecution.
Those who regularise the metering and water consumption before the lapse of the notice will have any liabilities, including risk of legal penalty, waived.
“Applicable penalties will be waived for customers who voluntarily regularise their water connections on or before Wednesday, April 30, 2025, the notice reads.
But beyond that, the company vows ruthless action.
“Thereafter, any customer found with an illegal water connection shall be charged and prosecuted, in addition to being compelled to pay any applicable fines and penalties,” NCWSC added.
“It is our mandate to ensure equitable distribution of water to all customers; however, illegal water connections continue to undermine this principle and pose significant risks to both the quality of our water supply and public health,” NCWSC said.
The announced illegal water connection crackdown will not the be first in the recent past.
In March 2023, the utility company teamed up with the national government’s Ministry of Water to storm car wash installations and other premises on the same mission.
At the time, then Water and Sanitation PS Paul Rono led the charge, announcing that illegal water connection will attract a maximum penalty of Sh100,000.
The crackdown at the time targeted 14 informal dwellings in Nairobi, among them Githurai, Zimmerman, Kasarani, Mwiki, Huruma, Kariobangi, Huruma, Kayole, Mathare North and Imara Daima.
Vandalism and destruction of critical infrastructure is also a problem in provision of water to the city residents.
The 2023 drive was part of a 100- day operation dubbed ‘Linda maji, lipa maji’, that was to be carried out in Nairobi before being cascaded to otherr counties.
It is not clear what became of the initiative, what its outcome was and whether it was cascaded to other parts of the country.
Nairobi gets 560,000 meters cubic of water out of which half of it is lost through illegal connections.
A report by Auditor General Nancy Gathungu shows that Nairobi loses Sh4.8 billion in unbilled water.
About 84 per cent of the total water supply to Nairobi residents is sourced from the Ndakaini dam.
