Environment and Forestry Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has committed to completing the cleanup of the Nairobi River within 18 months. He emphasized that the government has already warned companies contributing to the river’s pollution, urging them to stop their harmful activities.
“What you see behind me is not a river. In 18 months, we want to see a clean Nairobi. We have notified companies, slaughterhouses, and the Nairobi sewerage system,” Duale stated at the Nairobi Arboretum on Thursday during an event marking Mazingira Day.
The ongoing cleanup effort covers the entire Nairobi River, stretching from Naivasha Road to Athi River at Z-corner Juja Farm.
After the announcement, Duale led Kenyans in a cleanup of sections of the river. 
He also revealed that the government will soon implement a color-coding system for waste management to help residents separate recyclable from non-recyclable materials.
“To Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, we want to know where garbage collectors are taking the waste,” Duale added.
The government believes that these cleanup initiatives and proposed changes aim to engage Kenyans in environmental conservation efforts, including a goal of planting 15 billion trees by 2032.
Since January 2024, Kenyans have planted 481 million trees to combat climate change.
