National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has shut down four companies in Nairobi’s Industrial Area for discharging waste into Nairobi River.

The companies shut include Modern Lithographic (K) Ltd, Apex Limited, Thorlite Kenya Ltd and Kamongo Paper Recycling Company.

NEMA raided the companies following an expose by Nation Television on pollution of Nairobi River. The two month river pollution investigative project, dubbed “Toxic Flow”, trailed the river from Kiambu County where it starts, through Nairobi, Machakos, Makueni, Taita Taveta and Kilifi counties, until it exited into the Indian Ocean at Sabaki Bridge.

According to the report, Nairobi River is suffocating with a cocktail of raw, untreated sewage from everywhere, including some lavish estates in Nairobi.More than 4,000 slum dwellers have encroached on its path and exploit its water for domestic and pollution-heavy commercial purposes, transforming the stream into a large open sewer.It is a dumpsite for dozens of industries dotting the city under the sun, which haul into it fresh pollutants every day.

The national environment management agency is expected to continue with the inspection of high risk facilities in the Industrial area.“As precautionary measures we will be closing down facilities that do not meet the set effluent standards,” said Mr. Mamo, Director General, NEMA in a statement