DNK International By Sammy Kimatu,Mukuru.
More than 3,000 learners at institutions run by the Mukuru Promotion Centre (MPC) face potential flooding as encroachment, illegal dumping and other human activities threaten the Ngong River ahead of anticipated heavy rains.
MPC has raised the alarm over activities along the riverbanks, saying soil deposits, garbage and alleged encroachment have altered the river’s course, pushing the water closer to schools and other facilities.
At Songa Mbele Na Masomo Centre, which caters for children with disabilities, the river has reportedly shifted towards the institution’s perimeter wall, raising fears that heavy rainfall could endanger learners and damage infrastructure.
The centre is also grappling with heaps of uncollected garbage along the riverbank.
At St Bakhita Primary School and St Michael’s Secondary School, near Likoni Road Bridge and Express Kenya, MPC says it has spent substantial amounts constructing gabions to protect the institutions from the encroaching river.
The organisation claims it has repeatedly petitioned both county and national governments for urgent intervention but has yet to receive a satisfactory response.
“We have written demand letters to both county and national government to intervene early to save lives of learners in our institutions since Governor Mike Sonko was in office. Up to today, our demands fall on deaf ears,” MPC said in a statement.
An MPC official warned that the potential danger extended beyond the two schools to the organisation’s main offices and Mukuru Skills and Training Centre.
“We are talking of precisely more than three thousand learners who are at risk if it rains,” the official told journalists.
Near Likoni Bridge, piles of cartons, heaps of soil and an illegal dumpsite have heightened concerns about the river’s condition. Waste pickers were seen sorting plastic materials amid large heaps of garbage along the watercourse.
Further downstream, St Elizabeth Primary School in Mukuru-Kingstone, Embakasi South Sub-County, has reportedly suffered repeated damage whenever the Ngong River overflows during heavy rains.
A teacher said previous floods had destroyed part of the school’s perimeter wall, submerged the playground and damaged classrooms and the food store, disrupting learning for a week.
“The perimeter wall was crushed by raging waters, the playground was flooded while the food store and classrooms were messed up by water. There was no learning for one week due to water,” the teacher said.
Sources allege that people who have encroached on the riverbank in Mukuru-Reuben have deposited soil and erected structures, potentially redirecting the river towards the school.
The developments have raised concerns about the safety of pupils and the protection of school infrastructure as the rainy season approaches.
MPC is calling on the relevant authorities to clear the riverbanks, remove illegal dumpsites, investigate alleged encroachment and take measures to restore the river’s natural flow.
The organisation warns that delayed intervention could result in further destruction of property, disruption of learning and possible loss of life.
Efforts to obtain comments from the relevant government authorities were unsuccessful by the time of going to press, as calls and text messages seeking their response went unanswered.
[Daily News Kenya-International@October 24,2026]
