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.
Creating Impact, Building a Better Tomorrow
At ETCO, we're committed to creating lasting positive impact by keeping our environment safe and clean while creating meaningful employment opportunities for our communities. Through innovation and strategic partnerships with like-minded stakeholders, we're working together to achieve shared goals that drive sustainable development. We're also conducting a comprehensive economic survey to better understand the project's returns, impact, and scalability—ensuring every step we take is informed, effective, and built for long-term success.
Planning Meeting with PSN - Waste Management Project
Today's ETCO had logistical planning meeting at PSN Office to discuss the upcoming waste management project... Good things take time.
ETCO Office Under Repair & Setup
We're working on improving our office to better serve our community. Once complete, the upgraded space will help us provide more efficient, organized, and accessible services. Thank you for your patience and continued support as we build a better environment for everyone. Stay tuned for updates!