The Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company has warned that Westlands and at least seven other areas of the capital, as well as the University of Nairobi and Kenyatta National Hospital, are among those that could experience water shortages due to a technical problem.
In a notice published last Saturday, the company's CEO, Nahashon Muguna, said that the areas that could be affected include Lang'ata, Kibera, Kilimani, Lavington, Parklands, Riverside, and Kileleshwa.
Other roads and places that could be affected include Ngong Road and properties along Raila Odinga Road, including Madaraka and Nyayo Highrise, Nairobi West, and Nairobi Hospital.
The company attributed the problem to “technical issues” following a malfunction in the Kabete-Kibera-Lang'ata water supply pipeline.
The company urged affected customers to use stored water sparingly while technical staff resolve the issue. However, it did not specify when the disruption should end.
In addition, it assured that it would send tankers to the affected areas, where residents could draw water free of charge for domestic use.
“Our technical staff are working around the clock to resolve the issue. We advise our customers to use stored water sparingly,” Muguna said.
“In the meantime, we have sent our tankers to the affected areas so that residents can draw water free of charge,” he added.
Nairobi, which has a population of around five and a half million people, needs up to 900 million liters of water per day.
Earlier this year, President William Ruto unveiled plans to increase the city's water supply through the Northern Water Collection Tunnel, an 11.8 km-long raw water transfer tunnel.
The supply system was designed to collect 40% of the floodwaters from the Irati, Gikigie, and Maragua rivers and channel them to the Ndakaini dam, which supplies the Nairobi metropolitan area and beyond.