Members of the Amusha youth organization clean up a section of Ngon River in Mukuru slums.
On the narrow paths of Mukuru Kwa Njenga, open sewage passes under a man-made bridge with ugly heaps of garbage are everywhere.
Deadly insects such as Mosquitoes and flies buzz everywhere exposing the health of residents to health hazards such as Malaria and Cholera. Such perils are the daily life of more than 200,000 people living in Mukuru slum.
Mukuru slum is made of Mukuru Kwa Njenga, Mukuru Kwa Reuben, and Viwandani. It is one of the largest of the more than 150 informal settlements in Nairobi.
Ngong River runs through Mukuru Kaiyaba and Mukuru
God Bless! A concerned group of youth has taken it upon themselves to clean the river that flows next to their homes. It is really an act of responsibility when young people are busy doing drugs and committing crimes, this group of youth from Mukuru Kwa Njenga is doing something to benefit the community. Cleaning up Ngong River in the Mukuru section is not for the fainthearted.
The group
” We are trying to rehabilitate the river around here because the place smells and looks bad. It gets worse in the rainy season. We get outbreaks of diseases because the rivers act as a dumping site for everything” said Bahati Herborn, a member.
Amusha Youth Organization at work
However, the youth group faces some challenges such as lack of protective gears. They do clean up in phases.
Before each session, the youth hold talks with members of the community to sensitize them on the importance of keeping their surroundings clean
“It was hard when we started but they are responding positively. At least some have stopped through garbage in the river, but we don’t know for how long because they don’t have a place to dump the garbage,” added Bahati
This group appeals to environmental agencies to join them in saving slums in Nairobi from the menace of garbage.