Kenya’s Kiambu County is home to one of the country’s most breathtaking water falls.
The 14 Falls in Kilimambogo are found in the Athi River Basin and are the largest waterfall in Kenya in terms of width.
The falls boasts of heights of about 27 meters, and are a favourite recreational place for locals.
Visitors are able to enjoy boat rides, rock walks and fishing at the base of the waterfalls, and for the adrenaline lovers, diving expeditions.
However, over the years the falls have become an environmental eye sore as pollution takes away the luster.
Over the years, the 14 Falls lost their sparkle, and are now carriers of plastic and industrial waste, with a stench that drives tourists away.
As with this decline in stature came a decline in revenue, both for the county and local guides who made a fortune from tourist visit.
Martin Muthama is a tour guide at the 14 Falls. With minimal job opportunities available, he has had to endure the state of the falls through the years.
“Long ago, tourists used to visit in huge numbers. At that time, the water was clean, unlike how it is now. I think even the state of the water that you can see now, back then it wasn’t so clean you could dip your hand and see it underwater, or see fish swimming. But now tourist numbers have declined and our work has also reduced because of the pollution,” said Muthama.
The guide lamented the situation of the Falls, but remains optimistic that change will come, and the site will once again attract tourists like it used to.
According to Kiambu County authorities, the 14 Falls will soon get their old sparkle back.
John Mugwe, the advisor to Kiambu County Governor on Service Delivery, attributed the degradation of the falls to human activity, including non-responsible waste disposal.
He however noted that the county has rolled out plans to clean up the waters and make it more appealing to tourists.
“One of the things is to make sure than nobody discharges waste, especially the toxic waste into our river system. And this we are doing,” said Mugwe.
“Currently we have a number of projects that are going on improving the sewerage system. All the way in Thika town in some estates and also in Juja. So as the river comes down, the more people will be connected to the sewerage system, the less the pollution we will find here. The County has also done a marvelous job in garbage collection,” he added.
The county official expressed optimism that the current works successfully put the 14 Falls back on the list of places to visit by tourists.
This way, the region’s economy will receive a much-desired boost, with locals also getting better income from the various activities they will be able to engage in at the site.
“We want – as Kiambu County – to make the glory of it come back as it was before,” said Mugwe.
