Nairobi residents to pay more for water

Tuesday October 4, 2016

Children fetch water from a burst pipe in Mathare, Nairobi. Many city residents will be slapped with higher water bills after the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company raised its rates. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

Many city residents will be slapped with higher water bills after the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company raised its rates.

Already, some home owners have protested, saying their September bills were four times higher than normal.

The water firm, wholly owned by the county government, told the Nation that water consumers in the capital were aware of the new charges.

Managing Director Phillip Gichuki said that under the new tariffs, low-income consumers will be charged a flat rate of Sh200 if they use six cubic metres or less.

Those in the middle class who use between seven and 60 cubic metres will pay between Sh45 and Sh64 per cubic metre.
Mr Gichuki said this will help save water.

LEAKAGES

He said water leakages in homes are partly to blame for high bills.

“The people of Nairobi love to waste water. They shower with the water running and do not turn off taps.

"They also don’t care if the pipes are leaking. These bills will go a long way in conserving water,” he said.

He defended the recently installed new meters, which have been blamed for the sharp increase in the readings, saying the gadgets meet international standards.

Mr Gichuki asked those complaining about the new meters to pay a fee of Sh100 for testing by the water company.

A resident, who declined to be named, told the Nation that her September bill was Sh27,000, up from about Sh1,000 that she used to get.

She urged the water firm to revise the bills, which she said are ridiculously high.
“How will we survive if the cost of water and school fees are the same?” she asked.

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