In January 2023, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja announced that the much-anticipated Northern Water Collector Tunnel would officially open on February 25, 2023. President William Ruto was expected to preside over the project’s launch, according to Governor Sakaja, who announced the development.
Read also: Sh45 million Shauri Moyo multipurpose dam launched in Kwale, Kenya
The project’s launch, according to Governor Sakaja, would put an end to the city’s ongoing water shortage and take care of sanitation challenges. According to Governor Sakaja The northern collector, which had been blocked due to a few issues, was unlocked, and it was expected to be launched on February 25th, 2023.
Nairobi will receive 140 million liters of water daily from the Northern Collector Tunnel. Water will be channeled into the Ndaka-ini dam through the tunnel from the rivers Gikigie, Irati, and Mathioya. The French Development Agency is funding the 11.8-kilometer tunnel, which was scheduled to be completed in 2024, but construction began in 2015.
The project consists of three components: a tunnel, a treatment facility, and a pipeline linking the latter to Nairobi’s Gigiri reservoir. Nairobi currently uses 790 million liters of water daily, yet only receives 526 million liters from the Ndakaini Dam, leaving a 264 million liters daily shortage.
The Nairobi Water Masterplan estimates that by 2035, the city will need 1.2 billion liters of water per day, making the current shortage worse. Nairobi residents have been forced to purchase water from cartels and vendors due to the city’s water shortage.
Jan 2015
A US$ 743m water collector tunnel to see Murang’a supply water to Nairobi County
A US$ 743m water collector tunnel will be constructed in Murang’a County, Kenya in an attempt that will see the county supply 140 million liters of water per day to the capital city Nairobi.
Athi Water Service Board Chief Executive Officer, Malaquen Milgo confirmed the reports and said that this initiative will aid in the increase of water supply to the Nairobi city residents because according to a Nairobi Water master plan study, in 2035 Nairobi will require 1.2 billion liters of water daily.
He explained that water will be drawn from flood flows in Irati, Gikigie, and Maragua rivers in Murang’a County and then directed to Thika dam after which the water will be channeled to the new water collector tunnel. Part of the work will involve the construction of floodwater diversion structures on these rivers, as well as the laying of pipelines.
“We contracted GIBB Africa Ltd to undertake an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment to ensure that only flood water is channeled into the tunnel and that downstream demand is not impacted by the project,” Milgo said.
The World Bank-funded community water collector tunnel project is anticipated to begin in February and will take approximately 3 years to be completed. Kenya is also undertaking other water projects including the Migwani Water Project in Kitui country through the Ministry of Environment, Water and Natural Resources.
Reported on 19 October 2015
A US$ 743m water collector tunnel to supply water to Nairobi from Muranga
A US$ 743m water collector tunnel will be constructed in Murang’a County, Kenya in an attempt that will see the county supply 140 million liters of water per day to the capital city Nairobi.
Athi Water Service Board Chief Executive Officer, Malaquen Milgo confirmed the reports and said that this initiative will aid in the increase of water supply to the Nairobi city residents because according to a Nairobi Water master plan study, in 2035 Nairobi will require 1.2 billion liters of water daily.
He explained that water will be drawn from flood flows in Irati, Gikigie, and Maragua rivers in Murang’a County and then directed to Thika dam after which the water will be channeled to the new collector tunnel. Part of the work will involve the construction of floodwater diversion structures on these rivers, as well as the laying of pipelines.
“We contracted GIBB Africa Ltd to undertake an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment to ensure that only flood water is channeled into the tunnel and that downstream demand is not impacted by the project,” Milgo said.
The World Bank-funded community project is anticipated to begin in February and will take approximately 3 years to be completed.
March 2017
World Bank probes controversial water project in Kenya
The World Bank has begun to look into the complaints about the social and environmental impacts of a controversial water project in Kenya that involves digging a water tunnel as lodged by residents of Murang’a County in Kenya.
It comes even as residents of Nairobi and its environs continue to have dry taps for close to a month now. There have been issues raised about an 11.3km long northern collector tunnel (NCT) seeking to divert water to the Ndakaini dam that services Nairobi and its environs.
The building of the tunnel commenced on February 24, 2015, collecting water from Rivers Maragua, Gikigie, and irate for purposes of increasing the water supply to Nairobi by approximately 140m cubic meters per day.
The chairman of the panel Gonzalo Castro de la Mata said 47 residents of Murang’a fear experiencing water shortages for domestic, agricultural, and coffee processing when the Aberdares river system is diverted to NCT.
International Development Association on December 20, 2007, approved $150 million for the Water and Sanitation Service Improvement Project in areas served by Athi Water Services Board (AWSB), Lake Victoria North Water Services Board, and Coast Water Services Board.
The controversial water project in Kenya was scaled up in May 2012 with additional financing of $300 million from IDA to increase access to water supply and sanitation services.
The inspection team said the 44km-long gravity pipeline, with a capacity of 1.6 million cubic meters of water per second, has to be built up to Kabete reservoir through Ngethu and Gigiri water treatment plants to meet demand by 2017.
NCT I was to be completed by December 2015 but additional financing needs resulting in a change of Word Bank’s environmental assessment category to reflect significant environmental and social impacts.
“The assessment prepared for NCT I indicated that the main environmental and socioeconomic impacts would be related to diversion of water; resulting in a reduction in downstream flows in the rivers,” said the inspection panel.
The Kenyan opposition had also raised a red flag, saying the project could turn Murang’a County into a desert.
The Murang’a residents also argued the Ndakaini Dam, which receives water from the Thika River, spills over twice a year, and additional volumes from NCT I will result in spillage that could have replenished Murang’a’s lowlands water table.
Nov 2017
US $65.28m northern water collector tunnel to boost Nairobi water supply
The Northern Water Collector Tunnel will increase the water supply to Nairobi by 140m liters; this is according to the Nairobi Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko. The construction of the US $65.28m tunnel will reach completion next year.
Gov. Sonko said this will boost the water supply to the county which receives 520m liters against a demand of 750m liters. According to him, the meeting proved successful. This is in a bid to seek a lasting and permanent solution to the water problem in Nairobi.
Some of the officials present at the meeting include the Cabinet Secretary for Water and Irrigation Eugene Wamalwa and Nairobi and Water Sewerage Company Chief Executive Engineer Nahashon Munguna. The Athi Water Chief Executive Engineer Michael Thuita as well as Nairobi County Executive Committee for Finance Veska Kangongo were also present. Acting County Secretary Leboo ole Morintat also sat through the successful meeting.
Water supply
According to the Governor, an additional 100m liters or more will be supplied to the city through the construction and completion of the Karimeni 2 and Ruiru 2 dams. The Northern Water Collector tunnel is also in line with Vision 2030 to ensure improvement in water services in Nairobi, Kiambu, and Muranga Counties.
Karimenu II Dam will have a daily capacity of 76,000 cubic meters. It will also sustain demand for areas like Kiambu, Juja, Ruiru, and the Export Processing Zones.
The completion of the dam will ease pressure on Ndakaini, Sasumua, and Ruiru dams. The three supply fresh water to Nairobi and its environs. Sonko also said he will partner with the Water and Irrigation Ministry. The partnership will aid in drilling at least one borehole in every ward in Nairobi. They agreed to request the National Government through the Equalization Fund to subsidize water. This will help citizens from the informal sector within Nairobi access water.
Reported on
Northern Water Collector Tunnel to be operational in late 2020
The US $66m World Bank-funded Northern Water Collector Tunnel which is under construction in Murang’a County, is expected to commence its operations by end of the year 2020. The tunnel is touted to solve Nairobi city’s water issues by increasing water supply to the city via Ndakaini dam to a capacity of 140 000m3/day,
Athi Water Services Board Chief Executive Officer, Eng. Mwangi Thuita while giving a group of engineers interested in the tunnel technology a tour of the site said that 89% of excavation, which accounts for 11.4km out of the entire 12.7km, has been completed and the remaining 1.3km that shall connect Ichichi intake area of Kangema Sub-County to Ndakaini dam will be complete by the end of this year.
Eng. Thuita added that after the tunneling work is done, they shall begin construction of a water treatment plant that will cost US $63m; and the laying of pipelines from Ndakaini to Nairobi at a cost of US $45m. All this work will take at most one year to complete.
The Northern Water Collector Tunnel
The entire Northern Water Collector Tunnel project involves the construction of river intake structures at the Maragua, Gikie, and Irati rivers plus the construction of access adits at Gikigie, Irati, and Kaanja. It also embroils the construction of a fully concrete lined 11km long, 3.0 diameter main water tunnel from Maragua intake to Githika outfall.
The tunneling technology used shall not interfere with aquifers nor have any seepage of water. The tunnel is set to collect only flood water from the three rivers and it shall therefore not interfere with the normal flow of the rivers. Nevertheless, the project includes the construction of the high-level water treatment plant at Kigoro and the laying of pipelines from Ndakaini to Nairobi.
Other program components
Other program components include the construction of Murang’a and Kiambu County community water supply projects to ensure the host communities also benefit.  A Nairobi city water distribution network will be constructed as well to ensure equitable distribution, and lastly, improvement of water services in Nairobi Satellite towns within Kiambu and Kajiado counties.
