Thousands of residents and businesses across Nairobi are set to endure a 24-hour water outage this weekend after the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC) announced an emergency shutdown to repair a major leak on a key raw water pipeline.
In a notice issued on Friday, June 19, Nairobi Water said the interruption would begin at 6:00am on Saturday, June 20, and run until 6:00am on Sunday, June 21, affecting several estates, commercial centres and institutions across the capital.
According to the utility, the disruption has been triggered by a leakage on the NCT Raw Water Pipeline near Kigoro Treatment Works, forcing engineers to undertake urgent repairs to protect the water transmission system and prevent further damage.
"The interruption has been necessitated by a leakage on the NCT Raw Water Pipeline near Kigoro Treatment Works, requiring urgent repair works to safeguard the integrity of the water transmission system and ensure reliable service delivery," the company stated.
Among the areas expected to be hit by the shutdown are Westlands, Lavington, Kilimani, Upper Hill, Ngong Road, Madaraka, Lang’ata, Kibera, Karen, Uthiru, Kawangware, Kangemi, Ruai, Ngundu and Kamulu.
The outage will also affect customers served by Mavoko Water and Sanitation Company (MAVWASCO) and Oloolaiser Water Company, extending the impact beyond Nairobi's central neighbourhoods.
MAVWASCO primarily serves the Mavoko Sub-County within Machakos County, supplying water and sanitation services to Athi River Town, Syokimau, Mlolongo, Katani, Sabaki, Lukenya, and parts of Daystar University, with expanding pipeline networks reaching into Utawala, Joska, Kamulu, and Kinanie.
On the other hand, Oloolaiser Water and Sewerage Company operates within Kajiado North and parts of Kajiado West Sub-Counties, covering areas such as Ongata Rongai (including Laiser, Gataka, and Olekasasi), Kiserian (including Naromoru and Olteyani), Ngong (including Bulbul, Olkeri, and Oloolua), Kimuka, and Upper and Lower Matasia.
The announcement is likely to spark concern among households and businesses, especially coming at a time when many parts of the city are already grappling with intermittent water shortages and rising demand.
Residents in affected areas have now been urged to stock up on water before the shutdown begins.
"Customers in the affected areas are advised to store sufficient water for domestic, institutional, and commercial use ahead of the shutdown period," Nairobi Water said.
The utility assured customers that technical teams would be deployed around the clock throughout the repair exercise to minimise the duration of the disruption and restore normal supply as quickly as possible.
"Nairobi Water's technical teams will work around the clock to complete the repairs and restore normal water supply as soon as possible upon completion of the works," the company added.
The firm further apologised for the inconvenience and appealed for patience from consumers during the repair period.
Customers seeking updates or assistance have been advised to contact Nairobi Water through its toll-free customer care line, 0800 724 366, which operates daily from 7:30am to 9:30pm.
With the shutdown set to affect some of Nairobi's most densely populated estates and business districts, residents are now racing against time to secure enough water supplies before taps run dry on Saturday morning.
