President Ruto Appoints Ex-Kiambu County Governor Ferdinand Waititu to Nairobi River Commission
Former Kiambu governor Ferdinand Waititu, who remained steadfast in his support for President William Ruto during campaigns for the last elections, has finally been rewarded with a position on the nine-member Nairobi River Commission (NRC).
Gathogo Wanjiru 
The NRC, appointed through a December 2 Kenya Gazette notice, will be chaired by Dr. Pamela A. Olet, a former boss of the Kenya Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Council.
The Nairobi County government will be represented by Dr. Mumo Musuva, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry by Grace Senewa Mesopirr, and Riverine Communities by Eva Muhia.
Other members are environmentalist Elizabeth Wathuti for civil society groups, Carlota Dal Lago for the private sector, Elijah Biama for academia, and Dr. Duncan Ojwang, the dean of the School of Law at Africa Nazarene University.
President Ruto said the NRC will work to reclaim Nairobi rivers as a spine for the city's blue and green infrastructure so as to improve the urban environment and the quality of life of residents.
The NRC will coordinate the cleaning up of the Nairobi River and its environs and the work will be spearheaded by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. It will report quarterly to DP Gachagua and the commissioners’ tenure is three years.
President Ruto said the NRC will examine reports and recommendations made previously in efforts to reclaim the Nairobi River and incorporate the lessons learned in the new initiative.
These include the Nairobi River Basin Project (Unep, 2000); Adopt A River Initiative (Unep and Rotary Clubs, 2019 and ongoing); the ongoing Nairobi River Regeneration Initiative (UN-Habitat and the government); and the Urban Rivers Regeneration Programme (Nema, 2019-2024).
The team will assess the rivers in connection with current and future issues and their root causes and develop a Nairobi Rivers Basin Regeneration Programme to restore and enhance the Nairobi basin and related infrastructure.
This is meant to enable the full enjoyment of a safe, inclusive and healthy environment for all and unlock the socio-economic potential of the basin.
It will also coordinate the activities of various players in the rehabilitation, protection, restoration, beautification, and sustainable development of the riverine basin in the county. The goal is to transform the Nairobi river system into a new economic and retail frontier in the city.
The NRC will also monitor compliance with the laws and regulations governing the environment of the basin and its catchment areas in collaboration with the departments, agencies and/or ministries of the county government and the national government and initiate institutional and regulatory modifications where necessary.
