Busy Kipanga Athumani Street in Eastleigh to get new sewage system

Eastleigh North Member of County Assembly (MCA) Ahmedkadar Dabar on Thursday launched the construction of a new and larger sewage system on Kipanga Athumani Street.

The project aims to address the long-standing issue of raw sewage flowing onto the road, which has affected businesses and road users for years.

The persistent sewage overflow has been a challenge for thousands of businesses along the road, including several malls.

Business owners have severally expressed concerns about health risks and the strong odour, which has made the area difficult for customers and pedestrians.

The sewage also caused damage to the road, limiting its usage and making Eastleigh appear untidy to visitors.

To improve road conditions, Nairobi City County had repaired the road before last year's general elections by installing cabro blocks. The upgrade was expected to ease traffic and improve the state of the road, which is also known as Jam Street.

Business owners welcomed the project, hoping it would provide a long-term solution to the challenges they had been facing.

However, a few months after the road was completed, the sewage system was overwhelmed and began overflowing onto the road again. This disrupted not only business activities but also affected motorists and pedestrians.

Kipanga Athumani Street is particularly busy in the evening when thousands of hawkers set up their stalls, working until midnight.

The sewage problem forced hawkers to squeeze onto one side of the road, making movement difficult for other road users.

To resolve this issue, a new and larger sewage system is now under construction and is expected to be completed within 21 days. The cabro blocks have been removed, and smaller sewage pipes are being replaced with larger ones installed deeper underground to prevent future leaks.

Speaking at the launch, Ahmedkadar explained that Eastleigh's rapid growth has made the existing infrastructure inadequate, noting that the current sewage system dates back to the colonial period and is not sufficient for the area's increasing population and development.

"This is the sewer that the colonisers had left, which is 1.8 inches. We are putting a 5.6-inch pipe, a bigger one. The capacity of Eastleigh has grown, and it demands a bigger system," said Ahmedkadar.

He also highlighted the cooperation between his office, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, and area Member of Parliament Yusuf Hassan in bringing development to Eastleigh. He pointed out several roads that have been tarmacked in the past year as part of efforts to improve the area's infrastructure.

Ahmedkadar emphasised that Eastleigh contributes significant revenue to the county, and he expects it to receive the same level of development as Nairobi's Central Business District (CBD).

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"We are expecting Eastleigh and Nairobi Central Business District to be treated equally since Eastleigh is contributing more revenue compared to the CBD," he said.

The first term Member of County Assembly described Eastleigh as an important economic hub not only for Nairobi but for Kenya as a whole.

He revealed that President William Ruto is expected to visit Eastleigh soon and will be bringing additional development projects to the area.

He stated that the ongoing infrastructure projects would make the area cleaner and better equipped to accommodate its growing commercial activities.

The construction of the new sewage system is seen as a critical step in addressing the long-standing sanitation challenges on Kipanga Athumani Street.

Business owners, residents, and road users are hopeful that the project will provide a permanent solution and contribute to the overall improvement of Eastleigh's infrastructure.