Management Strategies For Restoration Of Nairobi Dam

Abstract

Nairobi Dam has over time attracted many organizations, public and private, who have attempted to rehabilitate it, and as a result, four restoration attempts have been made so far. These efforts have been in vain, and the restoration course is still far from being realized. The time to time failures have indicated weaknesses in the approaches which have been used in the past, indicating that the Government, local authorities, planners and professionals in the land profession have not yet deciphered the correct approach that can effectively and sustainably put the issue of encroachment and degradation of vital urban wetlands, in our case Nairobi dam, to a rest. This project explores past strategies from published articles and studies on Nairobi dam rehabilitation, and the results of these past restoration efforts critically examined. The researcher endeavors to identify gaps and challenges in past rehabilitation measures and propose new management approaches in rehabilitating the dam. Land use in Nairobi and particularly around the dam is also investigated by this study to identify if a relationship between land use and the condition of the dam exists. In addition, the researcher seeks to identify potential opportunities that may result from the rehabilitation of the dam. On past restoration strategies and efforts towards restoration, the study established that all the previous efforts failed in restoring Nairobi dam. The failures were in all aspects of sustainability that included social, economic and environmental aspects and also on the enabling aspects that included legal, institutional and infrastructural aspects. Continued degradation and pollution of Nairobi dam characterized by expansive permanent slums settlements and massive grabbing and encroachments of adjacent land by developers XI amidst four previous attempts by various powerful government agencies and institutions to restore the dam, serve as indicators of the true situation. This coupled with negative perceptions towards dam restoration efforts due to the inability of such efforts to involve and integrate the surrounding communities in restoration plans and programmes and their failure to enhance the communities’ socio-economic status. Overall, past restoration strategies have been of little significance towards achieving sustainable management and improve the social, economic and environmental quality of Nairobi dam