NAIROBI, Kenya- Residents and businesses in several Nairobi neighbourhoods, including Westlands, Kilimani, Lang’ata and Kibera, are facing an emergency water supply interruption after vandals damaged a major pipeline serving the city.
Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company said the vandalism occurred on a pipeline from the Kabete Water Treatment Plant near Kianda School, off Waiyaki Way.
The utility said it would shut down the Kabete Distribution Mains from 7 pm on Wednesday, November 11, to 6 pm on Thursday, November 12, to allow emergency repair works.
The outage is expected to run for about 23 hours and will affect residential estates, businesses, public institutions and major hospitals across parts of the city.
Westlands, hospitals and southern estates affected
Areas listed for the interruption include Westlands, Riverside, Lavington, Waruku, Parklands, Kangemi, Mountain View and Thiongo Road.
Other affected locations are Kilimani, Kileleshwa, Upper Hill, Lower Hill, Madaraka, Uhuru Park, Nairobi West and South C.
Several health facilities are also on the list, among them Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi Hospital, Forces Memorial Hospital and Mbagathi Hospital. KEMRI flats and the Department of Defence are also expected to be affected.
In Lang’ata and its surrounding areas, the interruption will affect the Dog Unit, Lang’ata Women’s Prison, NHC, Jonathan Ngeno, Breeze, Chelsea Marina and Southlands.
Residents of Kibera, Makina, Karanja Road, Jamhuri, Joseph Kangethe Road, Ngong Road, Woodley, Kenya High, Hatheru, Chalbi and Amboseli have also been included in the notice.
Karen’s Mbagathi Ridge area is among the locations expected to experience dry taps during the shutdown.
Residents urged to conserve available water
Nairobi Water urged households, institutions and businesses in the affected areas to use the water already available sparingly as engineers work on the damaged infrastructure.
The company did not provide details on the extent of the vandalism or indicate whether any suspects had been identified or arrested.
“Customers in the affected areas are advised to use the available water sparingly during this period,” the utility said, apologising for the disruption.
Residents are likely to feel the impact most sharply in high-density estates, commercial zones and health facilities that rely on a steady supply for daily operations.
Customers seeking further information can contact Nairobi Water through its toll-free line, 0800 724 366.
The emergency interruption comes shortly after a separate planned shutdown of the Kabete distribution mains for pipe-connection work near Kianda School, underlining the pressure on water infrastructure serving western and southern parts of Nairobi.
