Thousands of Nairobi households woke up on Thursday to dry taps after the city's water utility shut down supply across a wide belt of estates for 29 hours.

The Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC) said the interruption started at 3am on Thursday, November 5, and will last until 8am on Friday, November 6, to allow the Athi Water Works Development Agency (AWWDA) to carry out what it called "critical tie-in works" on the Karimenu transmission pipeline.

The pipeline is one of the bulk lines feeding the north and east of the capital, which means some of Nairobi's most densely populated estates are affected.

The estates affected

According to the notice, which was reported by Kenyans.co.ke, The Eastleigh Voice and K24, the outage covers:

  • Kasarani, Mwiki, Clay City, Ruai, Njiru and surrounding areas
  • Roysambu, Zimmerman, Kahawa Barracks, Kenyatta University and their environs
  • The whole of Kayole and Komarock
  • Soweto and Matopeni

Residents, businesses, schools and institutions in these areas were asked to store enough water before the shutdown, make alternative arrangements and use what they have sparingly. Some reports said households were also urged to avoid car washing and watering gardens during the outage.

The utility apologised for the inconvenience and said normal supply would be restored once the works are complete. Customers can reach it on the toll-free line 0800 724 366.

Second major outage in two weeks

The shutdown comes barely a week after another major interruption. On October 26, NCWSC announced a three-day closure of the NCT-Kigoro-Gigiri-Kabete pipeline for emergency repairs, which cut supply to estates including Kileleshwa, Kilimani, Lavington, Westlands, Parklands, Karen, Lang'ata and Upper Hill, as well as Kenyatta National Hospital and Nairobi Hospital, until October 29.

Why the works matter

NCWSC says it is carrying out continuing maintenance and repairs on the major transmission pipelines that serve the city, while the national government invests in bulk water infrastructure for Nairobi and its neighbouring towns, where demand has long outstripped supply.

For now, residents in the affected estates will be relying on stored water, boreholes and vendors until Friday morning. Supply is expected to resume at 8am, provided the works are completed on schedule.

Photos: Nairobi Water via The Eastleigh Voice (pipeline works); NairobiNews via Kenyans.co.ke (NCWSC headquarters sign). Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.