Open sewers and storm drains aka mitaro

What is it with Africans with open sewers and drainade systems that they have to be open. Is it that we lack ideas of better design or is it just our usual bonobo ways of doing things? Even when a road is upgraded form a dirt road to tarmac in the middle of a busy town the water drainage system is a big mtaro running parallel to the road.

Now, storm water drainage is important as it helps in keeping water from roads causing damage. Excess water follows a channel and is drained towards rivers of the sewerage system. However, though the system is meant mainly for excess rain water and the not so unusual dirty water poured out by residents, our case being bonobos is that the drainage system also more often than not carries raw untreated sewerage due to the many cases of burst sewerage lines and proliferation of unplanned urban settlements that are not served by a sewerage system. Infact even whole towns lack a sewerage system.

Many developed nations cities and towns have a completely closed underground storm water drainage systems. All you see on the ground is the spillway that draws running water into the underground canals. I imagine in our case, being the bonobos we are, we may not afford elaborate and complex underground waterways but believe we can do better. We can at least cover those mitaros with removable concrete slabs all through. This will ensure that those channels do not get clogged by all the trash that is currently thrown or falls into them. And by having removable slabs then in case of clogging there is easy access for unclogging. Secondly, the space above them will be better utilized as parking space, temporary shop stalls space, installing recreational sitting benches or even constructing troughs for planting some plants, flowers etc for greenery. Thirdly, they make a town appear cleaner and organized.

As it stands today, these drains are an eyesore in any town and they do not serve their purpose when most needed since they are always clogged with garbage. So when it rains a little heavily all you find are floods everywhere. We must live differently if we want to see any meaningful changes in our bonobo lives.

You imagine Mike Sonko and Waititu were overall in charge of such plans. That’s as much intention as a Nairobian has to design and improve such infrastructure.

Its in all towns bana. Quite an eyesore and a danger. The number of people who have fallen in those death traps are many

The day that we citizens realize the value of such infrastructure ndio vitu zita songa mbele. What I mean is, it is clear that leaders have refused to take the initiative. Given progress vs self enrichment, they always choose the latter, but why? Hands off approach.

We need to remove our biggest african problem which is, we like a hands off approach to leadership and delegation. We elect leaders and sit back and wait for them to work. If they don’t work, we cry rather than following up on the promises.

Hapa naongea kwa upole but I know it needs a fight and a lot of effort to realize the Kenya we want lakini mjue ya kwamba we absolutely won’t get anywhere without a fight.

This thing is always an eyesore. In most cases it ends up as a garbage can