Urban October.
On World Cities Day, Pumwani Social Hall filled with the low hum of chairs scraping concrete and Kiswahili greetings bouncing off the walls. Outside, Nairobi traffic roared; inside, people who live along the city’s rivers leaned forward, swapping worries about rubbish, smell, and the slow betrayal of waterways that once carried life.
ETCO joined the Nairobi Rivers Commission for an event themed “Let The Rivers Flow” — honest talk about what it takes to keep Nairobi’s rivers from becoming open sewers. His Excellency Sebastian Groth, Germany’s Ambassador to Kenya, sat with UN-Habitat representatives, the Commission’s Assistant Chair, and groups that spend weekends in gumboots.
The Ambassador did not speak in riddles: support should land where communities feel it — wheelbarrows, rakes, spades, gloves — tools that turn goodwill into visible change. The Assistant Chair sketched thematic areas so cleanup crews would not work in circles.
From the hall to the banks
ETCO CEO Collince Onyango thanked NRC and UN-Habitat for technical help, finance, and the simple dignity of listening. He announced ETCO’s readiness to launch the first Nairobi Dam tributaries cleanup on 10 November 2023, naming EcoWB and Power Engineers as partners shaping sustainable restoration designs. Rivers belong to everyone who drinks from this city; cleaning them still begins with those willing to show up.
World Cities Day can sound like speeches in another part of town; at Pumwani it became a working conversation — maps on tables, questions in Kiswahili and English, the shared annoyance of blocked drains. People left with gloves in mind and dates in diaries, which is what a city day should do.
Day 1 Unclogging
Day 1. Today, ETCO in collaboration with the Nairobi Rivers Commission, Phase 3 and Canaan Estate Management, commenced efforts to address the long-standing drainage blockage at the Phase 3 Market Stalls. While this intervention provides a short-term solution to the recurring blockage that frequently causes flooding and related challenges in both Phase 3 and Canaan Estate, as well as inconveniences road users accessing Kibera through Nyayo Highrise Ward via Kibera Access Road, we strongly urge the management of both estates to establish a regular maintenance schedule for the culverts to prevent future clogging. With the anticipated El Niño rains, proactive preparedness is essential to minimize the risk of further property damage, flooding, stormwater-related impacts, and potential loss of life. These ongoing efforts form part of our commitment to protecting the environment, improving drainage systems, and ensuring that rivers and waterways flow freely without obstruction.
Day of an African Child (DAC) - Planning Meeting
Kibera Gender Advocacy Network (KGAN) Meeting at Umande Trust Office to plan for the Day Of an African Child (DAC) on the 16TH June 2026. ETCO is a member organization.
Ngong River Regeneration Network - Zone (1-6)
The Ngong River Regeneration Network Zone Coordinators (Zones 1–6) held a productive meeting with the Commissioners representing the Ngong River, chaired by Commissioner Benjamin Langwen, alongside Commissioners John Kioli and Dr. Loice Jepkemboi Kipkiror, together with Inspector Ashford - NRC Secretariat. The meeting was highly engaging and inspiring, leaving us even more energized and committed to advancing the river restoration agenda. Together, we reaffirmed our shared commitment to not only regenerating our rivers, but also promoting a cleaner environment, encouraging food production through downstream farming, and creating sustainable job opportunities through riverine activities. #NgongRiverRestoration #NairobiRivers #EnvironmentalConservation #RiverRegeneration #ClimateAction #CommunityEmpowerment #GreenJobs