City Hall has hit affluent estates with water rationing as part of ensuring fairness in the volume and distribution schedule among neighbourhoods.
This follows a recently published notice by the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company outlining a revised distribution schedule for various neighbourhoods.
The affected estates include Lavington, Kileleshwa, Kilimani, Lang’ata, Karen, Embakasi, Roysambu, Westlands, Kasarani and Kabete.
According to the company, the changes are necessary to ensure a more equitable distribution of water across the city.
The updated plan is designed to balance the volume and frequency of water supply among long-served and previously underserved areas.
As a result, several estates will no longer enjoy daily water supply and should expect dry taps on certain days as the new rotation takes effect.
“Only select locations, primarily major institutions and their immediate surroundings, will continue to receive daily supply,” the NCWSC said.
These privileged zones include the University of Nairobi and its Mamlaka line, Kenyatta National Hospital, Valley Road, Daystar University, and parts of Upper Hill such as Matumbato, Kiambere, Masaba and Kenya Road.
Other areas spared from the new schedule include Elgon Road, Gikomba Market, Pumwani Hospital, Ngara, Forest Road, Waruku and their surrounding estates.
Military and educational institutions such as Kenyatta University, Kahawa Barracks and Embakasi Barracks will also maintain uninterrupted supply under the revised plan.
The changes are most notable in areas such as Karen, where residents in zones around Bogani Last Road, Mukoma Road, Ndovu Road, Swara Road, and adjacent neighbourhoods will now only receive water between Thursday afternoon and Monday afternoon.
In Riverside, the company has introduced a zoned distribution system. Households from Chiromo to Prime Bank will have access to water from Monday noon to Friday noon.
Those living between Ring Road and Kirichwa Road will receive supply from Tuesday noon to Thursday noon. Residents from Riverside Lane to Strathmore School can expect water from Saturday noon to Monday noon.
Despite growing concern among residents, NCWSC has strongly denied that the new plan constitutes water rationing.
“This is not about cutting supply,” the company said in its statement.
“It’s about expanding access to previously neglected areas, such as Utawala, that were not receiving any piped water at all.”
The supply adjustment aligns with the ongoing commissioning of the Northern Water Collector Tunnel, a flagship infrastructure project expected to deliver an additional 140 million litres of water daily once fully operational.
The tunnel is part of efforts to address Nairobi’s chronic water shortage and improve service delivery to underserved areas.
Utawala is among the first neighbourhoods to benefit from the tunnel’s partial operations. For the first time, some estates in the area now receive piped water twice a week.
Estates such as Summit Court, Swan Villa, Olympia Estate, Rubis and Ridgeways, which previously had no water connection, are finally getting services after years of relying on water vendors.
As the city adapts to the new supply model, NCWSC is encouraging residents to familiarise themselves with the updated schedule. The company has deployed field teams across affected areas to assist with inquiries and address any disruptions.
Residents are advised to report issues promptly and to plan ahead, especially during days when supply may be temporarily halted. The water utility hopes that with time, the new schedule will lead to a fairer and more reliable distribution network for all Nairobians.
by GORDON OSEN
