The Mt Kenya Times 
Photos taken along Kamiti road
By David Ndirangu
I believe you still remember the ‘One last fight’ story that we had a couple of weeks ago. For those who may have missed the story, ‘One last fight’ is that one ‘award winning’ beating our mothers used to give us (especially the boys) at around the age of twelve and thirteen just before we became too big to be beaten. They made sure it was so thorough that it was enough to last you a lifetime. Thereafter, if your mother caught you red-handed doing something stupid, since you were already too big to be beaten, she would just throw you a scornful look in the eye and hold it there for about a quarter minute and then tell you ‘chonoka mūno’ (meaning be very ashamed). What I can assure you is that the combination of that look and the words were as painful as a slap across the face.
There is this very annoying eyesore in the name of a car wash business along Kamiti Road right inside the river that divides Zimmerman and Githurai 44 estates. In this car wash, all sorts of vehicles including matatus, trucks, tractors, buses, bodas, and even government vehicles are washed while parked right inside the river in the full glare of anyone who is passing along the road.
One can only imagine the level of water pollution happening in the process including gasoline, grease, heavy metals, detergents and so forth. This has been going on for at least seven years and has now expanded to both sides of river across Kamiti Road. I reached out to Nema on phone a few years ago about the issue.
The one who received the call asked me what assistance I needed after which she transferred me to one of her colleagues. After I explained what the issue was, the seemingly bored voice on the other end asked me ‘ni wapi hapo?’ (Where is that?). So I started describing the location to him, Kamiti Road….etc. I am certain this Nema fellow was seated somewhere in this same city of Nairobi but he sounded like I was describing a Kamiti Road that is located somewhere in Lower Mesopotamia.
He appeared to have no idea of the place I was talking about. At the end of the conversation, he promised to look into it. As I had expected, nothing was done about it and the environmental degradation has continued unabated for all those years. I am not surprised that the place is even recognised by Google Maps as “Mtoni Carwash”. How absurd!
It is almost definite that this kind of water pollution must also be happening in the other rivers in the Nairobi Metropolitan and several other places in the country. The Nema Head Office is supposed to be somewhere in South C Nairobi along Popo Road. With this level of impunity and wanton pollution of our rivers happening right under their ‘noses’, one can only imagine what could possibly be happening in the far flung areas of the country. When Nema staffers are moving all over that city, harassing Kenyans and collecting bribes from construction sites and other businesses, how come they have never realised that it is criminal for vehicles to be washed while parked right inside rivers?
The Director General at the helm of Nema, one Mr. Mamo B. Mamo, who I believe seats on the red carpeted top floor of the Nema building owes Kenyans an explanation. That he has never noticed this environmental catastrophe in the name of car wash business is truly unfathomable. Kenyans should throw a scornful look in his eye, hold it right there for half a minute and like our mothers tell him, ‘chonoka mūno’ (Be very ashamed).
David Ndirangu BSc. CPA (K). Certified Professional Mediator Email: ndirangudavid2023@gmail.com
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