Mombasa to hire 300 youth to clear blocked drainage system

A vehicle is nearly submerged in water following heavy rains in Mombasa.[Standard]

Mombasa County will hire 3000 youth in six sub-counties to unclog blocked drains, culverts and waterways ahead of the start of El Niño rains.

Governor Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir said that the initiative prioritises known flood hotspots, low-lying areas, markets, and major drainage corridors.

''Participants will receive safety training, protective equipment, tools, and technical supervision. Recruitment is to be handled transparently by the County Public Service Board, with a clear warning against any payment of fees. Residents are urged to stop dumping waste into drains and to report blockages via the 1599 hotline,'' the county chief said.

A section of Mombasa residents have welcomed the move, saying that it will go a long way in engaging the jobless youths.

''While this move to engage youth is laudable, the message is straightforward: preparedness is a shared responsibility,'' Andrew Mwangura said.

He went on to state that Mombasa’s vulnerability is well documented, as there lies flat terrain, ageing and undersized drainage systems, rapid and often unplanned urbanisation, settlements on natural waterways and floodplains, and chronic solid-waste mismanagement combine to turn moderate rains into flash floods and prolonged inundation.

''Plastic bottles, bags, silt, and construction debris choke channels that should carry stormwater to the ocean. Informal settlements in places such as Bangladesh, Chaani, Junda, and Ziwa la Ng’ombe suffer disproportionately; recent assessments have shown high rates of housing damage and repeated flooding. Past El Niño events and seasonal downpours have repeatedly exposed these weaknesses, damaging homes, disrupting businesses, elevating disease risks, and straining emergency services,'' he said.

Environment activist Edgar Luwandi said that deploying organised teams of young people to clear the system before the rains peak is both preventive and socially astute.

''Youth unemployment remains stubbornly high; temporary, structured work that includes training and supervision offers income, skills exposure, and a sense of civic contribution. Linking the effort to environmental response and proper waste disposal also confronts one of the most immediate drivers of urban flooding,'' Luwandi said.

The county government emphasised that the move to engage youth shall be transparent and urged residents to keep waste out of drains. Correctly framing the problem as collective, rather than purely governmental.

''Clearing drains is maintenance, not transformation. Mombasa has long needed a comprehensive, funded stormwater drainage master plan that expands capacity, separates storm and sewage flows where possible, protects natural drainage corridors, and enforces building codes so that construction does not simply recreate blockages. Solid-waste collection and disposal systems must achieve reliable coverage; otherwise, the same debris returns after every cleanup cycle,'' Mwangura said.

Town planners argue that encroachment on waterways and floodplains requires difficult political decisions about relocation, densification alternatives, and enforcement, not only emergency appeals when rains are imminent.

''Climate realities, more intense rainfall events and rising sea levels, will only raise the stakes,'' said one town planner who sought not to be identified.

Mwangura said that Mombasa’s residents have every reason to support the call to keep drains clear and report problems promptly.