Nairobi residents are bracing for yet another period of dry taps. The Nairobi City Water & Sewerage Company (NCWSC) has issued a comprehensive alert announcing a temporary but significant water supply interruption that will affect a vast swath of the city's affluent and populous estates starting Friday, February 20.

The shutdown is scheduled to run from 6:00 AM on Friday, February 20, 2026, to 8:00 AM on Saturday, February 21, 2026. The cause is a planned shutdown of the Sasumua Water Treatment Plant, a critical artery in the city's water infrastructure, to facilitate "essential maintenance works aimed at improving production efficiency."

The Affected Areas

The list of affected estates reads like a directory of Nairobi’s residential heartland. Residents in these areas are urged to store water immediately to navigate the 26-hour outage:

• Westlands & Parklands: Including Riverside, Kileleshwa, Kilimani, and Hurlingham.
• Dagoretti & Kangemi: Including parts of Waiyaki Way and Naivasha Road.
• Karen & Lang'ata: Including Southlands and estates along Lang'ata Road.
• Central & North: Parts of Ngara, Gigiri, and the University of Nairobi Main Campus.
• Kibera & Environs: Including Karanja Road, Olympic, and Makina.
• Eastlands Pocket: Madaraka, Nairobi West, and parts of Mbagathi Way.

Why This Matters

While the utility company frames this as routine maintenance to "enhance reliability," for Nairobians, it is a recurring headache. The city’s water demand has long outstripped supply, and any disruption to the major treatment plants (Sasumua or Ngethu) causes immediate distress. Hospitals, schools, and businesses in the affected zones have been specifically advised to activate their contingency plans.

"The Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company will temporarily shut down the Sasumua Water Treatment Plant to carry out essential works," the notice stated. It is a necessary evil—maintenance must happen to prevent catastrophic failure—but for the millions relying on these pipes, the next few days will require patience and jerrycans. The advice is simple: use water sparingly, or run dry.