There are tell-tale signs that Nairobi is in a mess. And these have been brutally amplified by the current rains, which have exposed the shortcomings.
No amount of insults and antics will make the problems bedeviling the city disappear overnight. Indeed, the leadership should be grateful that the mounting criticism from the public is valuable feedback and seek solutions to these monumental problems.
The capital, once proudly referred to as the “City in the Sun”, no longer fits that epithet. It’s a city in the garbage and squalor that is slowly choking to death.
It is unable to provide basic services to taxpayers and property owners, who continue to pay up without question.
Governor Mike Sonko promised a lot during last year’s election campaigns and some believed that he was better wired to understand and tackle the problems of the majority poor, coming from that background himself. But his approach is not any different from that of the elite that he accused of being out of touch with the tribulations of the poor. He often takes to social media to boast about small things as problems multiply.
The city’s biggest challenges are water, garbage, potholed roads, traffic jams and a decaying infrastructure. Nairobi once had an elaborate public healthcare system, which has been reduced to empty shells. It’s time to stop the blame game and pull Nairobi out of the muck.