NAIROBI, Kenya — President William Ruto has ordered the demolition of a section of the State House perimeter wall in Nairobi after a multi-agency inspection found it had encroached on protected riparian land along the Kirichwa Kubwa River.
The directive follows a formal notice from the Nairobi Rivers Commission, which wrote to State House Comptroller Katoo Ole Metito seeking access to demarcate the riparian corridor. The letter indicated that the State House boundary wall may have encroached on the reserve by between 10 and 15 metres.
Speaking at the Nairobi County Assembly on Thursday, Ruto confirmed that the notice had been issued and said the affected section would be removed.
“State House has received a notice that part of the State House boundary wall along the Kirichwa Kubwa River falls within the riparian reserve. And it must come down,” he said.
He added that the demolition would comply with environmental regulations requiring a buffer zone from the riverbank. “They have told me at least 15 metres from the high mark. I promise you that wall will come down,” Ruto said.
The multi-agency team conducting the assessment was established through a gazette notice issued by the Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing, and Urban Development. The inspection focused on the Kirichwa Kubwa River, a tributary of the Nairobi River that borders the south-western perimeter of State House.
Riparian reserves are legally protected zones adjacent to rivers and wetlands where construction is restricted to safeguard water flow, reduce environmental degradation, and mitigate flooding risks.
Ruto linked the decision to broader efforts to reclaim riparian land in Nairobi, saying encroachment and environmental degradation have worsened flooding in the capital. Authorities have stepped up enforcement targeting structures built illegally along river corridors.
Johnson Sakaja recently ordered the demolition of illegal developments along riverbanks and the relocation of occupants living on riparian land, citing the need to restore waterways and reduce flood risks. Speaking in Westlands on March 18, Sakaja said some rivers had been reduced to narrow culverts incapable of handling heavy rainfall.
The governor also blamed illegal dumping and non-compliance with approved building plans for worsening the flooding crisis, adding that enforcement would target structures obstructing water flow.
The State House demolition order marks one of the most high-profile cases in the ongoing riparian reclamation exercise, with authorities emphasizing that enforcement will apply uniformly to public and private developments found to have encroached on protected river corridors.
