Nairobi: Residents of Eastlands grapple with biting water shortage

According to the residents, clean water is a very scarce commodity in Eastlands.

Many in the estate believe the shortage could be artificially initiated, ostensibly to allow unscrupulous water vendors or cartels to make a kill.

In Umoja, for instance, the once posh estate originally commissioned by then Nairobi City Commission to provide housing to the growing urban population under the Tenant Purchase Scheme (TPS), back in the 1970s and 1980s, water has become a rumour.

Rising population and the emergence of tall buildings in many estates in Eastlands has put more pressure to the estates, putting a strain on existing sewerlines and water systems.

Many tenants are having to constantly move from one estate to another – in search of suitable living areas that have running taps. 

Geoffrey Ayosi, a long-term resident of Umoja 2, told Wananchi Reporting that living without water has been gruelling and punishing.

“We’ve had water problems before, but recently the problem has worsened. I pay my water bills faithfully and on time, yet my taps are always dry. Something is definitely wrong,” said Ayosi.

Some of the parents who spoke to Wananchi Reporting said the water menace is making life at home very difficult; toilets have to be flashed sparingly, clothes and utensils too don’t see a lot of water.

“This is the first time in years that I am considering leaving this plot,” said Brendah Awino, a mother of two who lives in Tassia.

According to residents of estates like Pipeline and Tassia, water only comes twice or thrice a week, forcing residents to fill up dozens of containers with water from the common taps. 

Meanwhile, hand-drawn carts and wheelbarrows selling water have taken over estate corridors; selling the precious product at premium price.

“These mkokoteni are here daily, carrying loads of water, yet we have not had any water in our taps for a while. Where do they get water? It’s frustrating for families like ours,” said Awino.

As frustrations mount, residents are still hopeful that water will one day run in the taps, uninterrupted.