Ahead of the predicted El Niño rains expected this month, local leaders and key stakeholders in Kiambaa Constituency have launched a proactive drainage and environmental conservation initiative.
The effort focuses on vulnerable hotspots like Ruaka Town—a rapidly growing urban hub prone to severe flash flooding due to inadequate drainage connectivity.
To address both environmental risks and social challenges, Ndenderu Ward MCA David Mwaura (who is eyeing the Kiambaa parliamentary seat in 2027) teamed up with Dr. Margaret Gacahami, the Dagoretti South Sub-County Police Commander and founder of the Mustard Seed Foundation.
Together, they are integrating over 1,500 recovering drug and alcohol addicts into community improvement projects.
This dual-purpose strategy provides reformed youths with dignifying work and income to prevent relapse, while safeguarding local infrastructure and schools through drainage clearing, riverbank conservation, and fruit tree planting.
Community leaders and local stakeholders in Kiambaa Constituency have joined forces to launch proactive measures aimed at mitigating potential hazards and property losses ahead of the anticipated El Niño rains this month.
As part of the initiative, reformed youths undergoing rehabilitation from drug and alcohol addiction participated in clearing bushes and declogging drainage systems in Ruaka Town.
The exercise was organized through a partnership between Ndenderu Ward MCA David Mwaura and the Mustard Seed Foundation.
Ruaka, which has experienced rapid urban growth and high-end residential development, remains particularly vulnerable to severe flooding during heavy rains due to an incomplete drainage network.
Speaking during the exercise, MCA Mwaura explained that engaging recovering addicts in community work is designed to help them maintain sobriety by offering them productive employment and an income stream, reducing the risk of relapse.
Mwaura, who has announced his intention to contest the Kiambaa parliamentary seat in 2027, added that the project also includes planting over 1,500 fruit trees across local schools to establish orchards that will benefit students in the coming years.
Dr. Margaret Gacahami, founder of the Mustard Seed Foundation and the Sub-County Police Commander for Dagoretti South, emphasized her foundation’s commitment to assisting recovering addicts as they rebuild their lives. She noted that the foundation is also actively planting trees along local riverbanks and public spaces to promote environmental conservation and build a cleaner, safer community environment.
