There is growing outrage over the controversial drilling of a privately owned borehole on a public road, along Njugu Lane, off Koinange Street within the Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) by Café Javas, popularly known as CJs and owned by Kampala-based tycoon Ahmed Omar Mandela.
The shocking development has put the leadership of Nairobi County government under governor Johnson Sakaja, Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC), Water Services and Regulatory Board (Wasreb) and the National Environmental and Management Authority (Nema) on the spotlight over how sinking of the borehole on a public road for private use was approve despite an earlier attempt having been barred last year.
The Informer Media Group established that the borehole was sank during last December festivities when the city was turned into ghost town since majority of the city residents had traveled upcountry for Christmas festivities.
The sank borehole has been covered using a metallic lid resembling a manhole cover and the space designated as a restaurant’s loading zone.
According to impeccable at City Hall, the approvals were controversially issued after initial attempts were rebuffed.
“The approval for such on a public utility especially a road is shocking. I am aware in April 2022; such an attempt was made but it was declined. I am not sure how the same was later approved. The approval ought to have been multi-sectoral.
When contacted for comment via official mail, the CJ’s management did not respond to our queries.
CJ’s hotel has tapped the borehole water and piped it directly to the hotel.
In 2019, the Nairobi County Assembly demanded closure of all commercial boreholes drilled without the county’s approval, saying most of it is unfit for human consumption.
At the time, records at the Nairobi County showed that there are a total of 3,000 commercial boreholes in Nairobi and that more are drilled everyday thus informing urgent necessity to regulate the highly manipulabe exercise.
The Nairobi Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) heard that the county lacks a clear role in the drilling of the water sources and that the buck stops with the national government, through agencies such as the Water Resources Management Authority (Warma) and Nema.
While appearing before the Water Committee, the ten Environment and Water executive Vesca Kangogo explained that approval to dig a borehole is granted by Warma and Nema, which ask for ownership documents such as the LR number and title deed for the location.
“The work of the county is only to give the ‘no objection’ document after approvals by Warma and Nema. They (Warma) do not communicate their findings to us so that we can take responsibility. Kangogo noted.
On the other hand, NSWSC’s Managing Director Nahashon Muguna said fluorine levels are very high for most boreholes in Nairobi, meaning the water is of poor quality, hence bad for human consumption.
The fluoride levels for boreholes in Eastlands are “extremely high”, at over 15mm per litre against the required 0.5 mm per litre, Muguna said.
Treating the water through reverse osmosis is also expensive.
“You can only know the quality of water after it has been tested. Drilling is done and water is drawn and taken for testing,” he said.
“This is why we have not taken over most government-drilled boreholes … the water from them is of poor quality.” He added.
So far, the budding chain of restaurants has four branches in Nairobi.
Besides Koinange where the controversial borehole has been sunk, they also operate Kilimani, Village Market and Karen Waterfront Mall branches respectively.
The Ugandan-based investor is also the director of Mandela Group of companies, the parent company to Cafe Javas, City Tyres, City Oil, City Lubes, City World, Savers, Fodhub, Mandela millers and Mandela Auto Spares.
