NAIROBI, Kenya — The government will on December 22, 2025, launch a wide-ranging exercise to demarcate and protect riparian reserves, wetlands, and springs along Nairobi’s major rivers in a move aimed at curbing encroachment, safeguarding water resources, and reducing flood risks.
The operation will cover rivers Nairobi, Mathare, Ngong, Miotoni, Mokoyeti, Mbagathi, Ruaka, Gethathuru and Kibagare, together with their tributaries, according to a Gazette notice issued by Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome.
Wahome said the initiative seeks to regulate activities within riparian areas, protect environmentally sensitive ecosystems and enhance public safety for residents living in flood-prone zones.
“The public is requested to co-operate with the multi-agency team in the demarcation exercise and ensure that prohibited activities are not carried out within riparian reserves, wetlands and springs,” the Cabinet Secretary said in the notice dated December 19, 2025.
The exercise will be undertaken by a multi-agency team drawn from the State Department for Lands and Physical Planning, State Department for Interior and National Coordination, Survey of Kenya, Water Resources Authority, National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), Nairobi City County Government, and the Nairobi Rivers Commission.
According to the Gazette notice, the team will conduct surveys, inspections and physical demarcations to enforce compliance with key statutes, including the Water Act, Physical and Land Use Planning Act, Environmental Management and Coordination Act, and the Survey Act, among other applicable laws.
Authorities said the team will apply harmonised standards on easements, wayleaves, and riparian reserves as provided under the Physical and Land Use Planning (Development Permission and Control) Regulations, 2021.
As part of its mandate, the team will have powers to enter properties located along the targeted rivers to verify land ownership documents, including title deeds, survey plans, leases, permits, and statutory clearances. It may also take enforcement action permitted under the Constitution and relevant legislation.
The measures may include directing the relocation of residents living in flash-flood-prone areas, removal of unauthorised structures, halting incompatible land uses, and compelling compliance with environmental and planning requirements.
However, Wahome stressed that all actions would be conducted in line with due process, with respect for affected parties’ rights and adherence to public participation principles.
“This exercise is key to protecting our rivers and ensuring they serve the city and future generations,” she said.
Nairobi’s riparian reserves have for years faced widespread encroachment through informal settlements, private developments, and industrial activity, contributing to pollution, blocked waterways, and recurrent flooding during heavy rains.
Environmental experts have long warned that degradation of wetlands and river corridors undermines the city’s resilience to climate change and threatens water security for millions of residents.
Authorities have now called on landowners, residents, and other stakeholders to fully support the demarcation exercise, saying public cooperation will be critical to securing Nairobi’s rivers, wetlands, and springs from further environmental degradation.
