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FRESH EYE TV
  • 2 days ago
STRAIGHT TALK EP 3 GEOFFREY MOSIRIA - NAIROBI RIVER REGENERATION PROJECT
Transcript
00:00Welcome to Straight Talk. I'm your host, Yvonne Cheggen. This episode, we wish to focus on the
00:11Nairobi River Regeneration Project, which is a very ambitious project that wishes to not only
00:17rehabilitate Nairobi River, but to also create greener spaces within the city and cleaner and
00:25more habitable living environments within Nairobi. And to discuss that, we're joined by Mr. Jeffrey
00:32Mossiria, who is the Chief Officer in Charge of Environment at Nairobi City County Government.
00:38Thank you so much for joining us. A quick Google search of you, you can see you have several ambitious
00:44environmental projects. Perhaps tell us what inspired you to get into public service?
00:50Yes, everyone, every student, when he goes to school, most of them, they want to be employed
00:58by government and serve the people. Personally, as a young person, when I finished my university,
01:08I got the job as an hospital administrator. I worked in Nairobi County as an administrator
01:16for more than 10 years. And I was appointed as a chief officer in charge of health facilities.
01:23Later on, I was transferred to an environment where I have loved working because here is where you are
01:30able to do the work of God. You know, God created heaven and earth, and we have polluted this environment.
01:37So I'm trying to fix what God gave us, trying to make sure that we clean our city, we clean our environment,
01:45the air we breathe, our open spaces. We green our city because most people cut down trees without replacing.
01:54So it's the work I love doing. And I'm inspired. All of what inspired me to do this work is God,
02:03because God gave me a chance to serve him. And this is the only way I can serve God.
02:08But you really also are a true patriot, aren't you? You're answering the call to serve
02:12and better Kenyans in the way in which you know how.
02:15Yes.
02:16Now, in your mandate as the chief officer for environment, what are your priorities for the city right now?
02:23Right now, our main priority is managing solid waste. Solid waste has been a problem,
02:31which we all know. And we are trying to sort it out by first engaging the people.
02:39The people need to understand the importance of a clean environment. The Nairobians need to understand
02:47the importance of a clean city. The children, school-owned children, they need to understand
02:55the importance of having a clean city and how we achieve this. So solid waste management is our
03:03priority area. Trying to make sure that people understand how they manage their waste from source.
03:09how they dispose their waste. And also, people to understand that they need to pay for their waste.
03:15You know you generate waste, but that waste you must pay for its disposal. The same way we pay for water,
03:24electricity, we should also pay for waste the same way. How then would you describe the state of Nairobi's
03:34environment? We are doing better than before. With the growing population and with the capacity we have
03:42as the county government, we are doing our best. And so far, I can say out of 10, we are at 8.
03:53So there has been progress that you have seen happen over the past?
03:58Yeah. We have employed staff who are cleaning the assets. Before we didn't have a support staff,
04:06but right now we have around 4,000 staff who are support staff working for this entire county. Trying
04:17to make sure that they collect garbage, they open stormwater drainage system. They also engage the
04:24people, educate them, and make them understand how they manage their waste. So that's a plus for us.
04:31We also procure at Revius Compactors, there are 24, which are moving around the city collecting garbage
04:37from Estes, from hotels, so that it minimizes illegal dumping, whereby people give just three
04:43families to dump garbage on their behalf. We are also working with partners like PSPs, CBOs, and Westspeakers
04:54in the best way we can manage our waste. So generally a drive towards cleaning up Nairobi city in general?
05:03Yeah. Okay. So what then inspired the Nairobi River Regeneration Project?
05:09Ideally, this is a project that is being spearheaded by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Kenya,
05:16Mwishmiya William Samuel Ruto, working closely with the Nairobi county government under the leadership
05:21of His Excellency Governor Sakaja. And this river has been 30 for many years. Everyone has tried cleaning it,
05:29but along the way they don't succeed because of poor planning. But now the government in place
05:34as good strategies, they have formed a commission to look into that river to manage the cleaning.
05:42And as accounting government, we are also supporting in terms of resources, technical support and other
05:48resources. So they need a clean river because if you go to the village, people can go to the river and
05:56drink that water, swim in that river. But in Nairobi, you cannot swim in the river because what is flowing in
06:02the river is water mixed with sewer and other chemicals. Companies discharging, people discharging
06:08sewer, effluent and all that. So they have also noted that with the growing population, the sewer which
06:18was constructed many years ago is not able to accommodate the growing population. That's why we have
06:25sewer flowing into the drainage system which ends up in the river. So they are doing proper sewer system
06:31for Nairobi along the river. This will manage now discharge of sewer and effluent instead of discharging
06:37the river to go direct to the sewer system. And also the cleaning of the river started. They are moving
06:44from source. Nairobi river is now being reclaimed. If you go move around the river, you will see when the
06:52level of population has gone down. There's also a number of young people who are recruited by the national
06:59government and the climate works who are also assisting in the cleaning of the river and collecting
07:05of garbage. The county government is also supporting in terms of enforcing against those who are dumping
07:10and discharging such waste into the river and also collecting the waste along the river so that it
07:17doesn't ends up in the river. So from what I'm hearing then, there is a lot of collaboration both between
07:25county government, national government and there must be some other partners and stakeholders as well
07:30involved. Yeah. How does this project then affect the residents on the ground? Because I'm sure you're
07:36moving them away. There's been a lot of encroachment on the land. You see, ideally you are not supposed
07:41to live around the river even for your own safety. If there are floods, you'll be swept. So what the government
07:48is doing is trying to ensure the safety of the people by making them understand as to why they need to move
07:54on both sides of the river 30 meters or 60 where they need and need be. So by so doing, we are also
08:03reclaiming space whereby we can do even recreational parks. Along the river, there are so many activities
08:10and they'll also do a walkway so that you're able, if you can use a matatu from, let me say, from
08:20easily to Westlands, you'll take like 45 minutes, one hour. But around the river, if they do a walkway,
08:27you'll be able to walk within 15 minutes, right, in Westlands. And also it's a way of doing exercise
08:33because most people are not exercising in Nairobi. And it also provides a runway where people will be
08:40jogging, doing exercise in the morning, around the river. Once the river is green, no sewer. And
08:48they also do parks where people want to relax with their families, do even parties. It's something that is
08:57going to open up for more opportunities. So it's clear then that there are a lot of advantages that
09:03will come with this project. Are the residents involved in its growth, in its actualization?
09:10The community is involved. Actually, even the community is happy. Even the people who are
09:15helping us clean, the young people in the climate works are from the same community where the river
09:22is being cleaned. So everyone is for it. Everyone wants to see a clean river. People will also even want
09:28to go and do fishing in that river because there will be fish, the water will be cleaned, the children
09:34will have a place to swim. So it's all a big thing that is going to change the life of Nairobi. People
09:42will want to live now near the river. People will want to run away from Nairobi. This is the place where
09:48land will be very expensive. Along the river. Yeah, along the river because the river will be clean,
09:56the water will be clean. You know, even the air around the river now will be
10:01more clean. And you know, if you live near the river, even that sound of the river itself,
10:10the birds and the environment itself will be peaceful. I think from what I'm seeing then,
10:17there's two challenges. The first is cleaning up the river, which is what you're tackling right now.
10:21What happens after? Because you, like you rightly said, the objective towards cleaning Nairobi river
10:27has happened severally before in the past. How will we ensure that going forward, once the river is
10:34operating in the way in which you envision, that it will maintain itself in that way?
10:38You see, with the introduction of our walkway, proper sewer, doing beautification, doing parks,
10:49that itself will protect that river. Nobody will encroach the river. And
10:56the community itself has been made to understand the importance of that river. So,
11:00it will also not encroach into the river. So, sustainability is assured because there is a good
11:08plan on the same, even on its maintenance and all that. And both the county and national governments,
11:15we have embraced this project. So, we own it. So, it's not something that will just be done and be
11:22dumped. It's something that is being actualized. Right now, you go along the river, you'll see the
11:28works that are ongoing. This is a big project and this is a mega project. And there is something that
11:33will be sustainable. Fantastic. Thank you. And as we wrap up, maybe you can give the Nairobi residents out
11:39there a word of encouragement or inspiration as to how to treat our environment. Yes, what I'll say
11:46is that where you live, your environment determines your health. It also determines your well-being.
11:55It's supporting you as a city resident to make sure that you take responsibility of your environment,
12:01make it clean, do your part. The government will do its part. Actually, 90 percent of the work should be
12:08done by the people because even the Nairobi County Solid Waste Management is clear. The Nairobi County
12:14Air Quality Act of 2022 is clear. We have laws. All that you need to do is just abide by those laws.
12:22Make sure the environment you live, you are the first person to make sure you clean it. By so doing,
12:29we love a clean and green environment. And don't forget to plant trees. When you cut one, plant 10.
12:36Because if you are doing a project, either doing a house, make sure within your environment,
12:45like trees. We can only achieve the green seed under the sun if we all plant those trees. Let's not
12:51complain that Nairobi is dirty. Who has made it dirty is with the people. Who is going to clean it is with
12:56the people. So the responsibility purely lies within us, the people of Nairobi. Thank you so much.
13:04Thank you so much, Mr. Mosiria for joining us on Straight Talk. I'm your host, Yvonne Chege. He leaves us
13:11with a very poignant message to be individually responsible for our own environments. Join us again
13:19for Straight Talk.
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