Nairobi, Kenya – Residents across Nairobi are set to endure a five-day water supply interruption beginning Monday, April 6, as authorities shut down a major transmission system to facilitate critical infrastructure works.
The Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC) announced that the Athi Water Works Development Agency (AWWDA) will temporarily close the Northern Collector Tunnel 1 (NCT1) system. The shutdown will allow completion of contractual works tied to the Kigoro Water Treatment Plant project, which channels water to Gigiri and Kabete reservoirs. The outage will run from 6:00 a.m. on April 6 until 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 11.
Areas Affected
The disruption will impact wide sections of the city, including:
- Westlands & Lavington: Riverside, Parklands, Gitanga Road, Riara Road, Chalbi Drive, and surrounding estates.
- Kileleshwa: Kandara Road, Othaya Road, Laikipia Road, St. George’s School, and adjacent areas.
- Kilimani & Environs: University of Nairobi, Valley Road, Hurlingham, Denis Pritt Road, Daystar University, and Coptic Hospital.
- Dagoretti & Kabiria: Kawangware, Waithaka, Kagira Kagondo, Dagoretti Market, and nearby estates.
- Southern & Western Nairobi: Uthiru, Mutuini, Jamhuri Estate, Upper Hill, Kenyatta National Hospital, and Kenyatta Market.
- Informal Settlements: Kibera, Makina, Olympic, Gatwekera, Ayany, Lindi, and Highrise Estate.
- Lang’ata & Karen: Southlands Estate, Madaraka, Bogani Road, Swara Lodge, Hardy, Giraffe Centre, and Mbagathi Ridge.
- Central & Eastern Nairobi: CBD, South B, South C, JKIA, SGR, Athi River EPZ, Mukuru, Imara Daima, Embakasi Village, and Tassia Estate.
- Other Areas: Ngara, Gigiri, Village Market, UNEP, and the US Embassy.
Official Statement
“AWWDA will shut down the Northern Collector Tunnel 1 system to operationalise and satisfactorily conclude all contractual scope of works for the Kigoro Water Treatment Plant to Gigiri and Kabete reservoirs,” NCWSC said in its notice.
The planned outage comes amid growing concerns over water shortages in Kenya’s urban centres. Similar disruptions have recently been reported in Mombasa and Eastleigh, with residents urging authorities to accelerate long-term solutions to the city’s water challenges.
