Mombasa is once again staring down a severe water shortage — and this time, the trigger is a damaged transmission pipeline at one of the city's most critical water crossing points.
The Mombasa County Government, through the Mombasa Water Supply and Sanitation Company (MOWASSCO), has issued an urgent public notice warning residents across Mombasa Island that their scheduled water supply will be significantly interrupted following a serious leak along the main transmission pipeline at Nyali Bridge.
In a statement that has alarmed thousands of households, businesses, hospitals, and schools that depend on this supply line, MOWASSCO confirmed that the damage was not caused by age or natural wear — it was directly caused by a telecommunications technology company during construction or installation works in the area.
What Happened at Nyali Bridge? The Official Statement
MOWASSCO did not mince words in its public notice to customers.
"We would like to inform our esteemed customers in the Mombasa Island region that our scheduled water supply will be interrupted due to a serious leakage along our transmission pipeline at Nyali Bridge."
"This was caused by the damage to the pipeline section by a telecommunications technology company. Our technical team is working around the clock to repair the said section and restore services to the affected areas," the notice added.
The company did not immediately specify how long repairs would take, but past pipeline repair works in Mombasa have taken anywhere from 72 hours to several days, depending on the extent of the damage and accessibility of the affected section.
This Is Not a New Crisis — It Is a Deepening One
While the Nyali pipeline leak is the immediate cause of the current disruption, water experts, county officials, and frustrated residents all agree: Mombasa's water crisis is chronic, structural, and dangerously underfunded.
The numbers alone paint a dire picture.
Mombasa requires at least 200,000 cubic metres of water daily to meet the needs of its residents. However, the county currently receives just 40,000 cubic metres per day from its primary sources — Baricho, Mwache Dam, and Tiwi in neighboring counties. By the time that water travels through aging, leaking, and illegally tapped pipelines, only about 20,000 cubic metres actually reaches residents' taps.
That is a staggering 90 per cent shortfall — a crisis hiding in plain sight.
Governor Nassir Speaks Out: "You Are Being Treasonous"
Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Sheriff Nassir has repeatedly and publicly taken on the water crisis head-on, and he has not been shy about pointing fingers at the people responsible — including those within his own administration.
In a fiery statement that drew national attention, the governor declared:
"When you cut people's livelihoods and you decide to use that water for your own selfish greed — where you sell that water at exorbitant prices while the rest of the places have no water — you are being treasonous."
He added:
"It is not about political expediency. It is about ensuring that basic human rights — access and the right to clean water — is going to be attained."
The governor confirmed that an inspection by the county government had uncovered senior national and county government officials who had illegally diverted public water supply to their personal premises — a scandal that confirmed what many Mombasa residents had long suspected.
"You sit at barazas listening to people criticise the county for not solving the shortage, you clap in agreement, yet you know you are stealing the same water. That is not right," Nassir said bluntly.
In the wake of these revelations, 21 people — including two county officials and several national government officers — were charged in connection with illegal water connections.
The Illegal Connections Epidemic: Mvita, Changamwe, and Kisauni Hardest Hit
The majority of illegal water connections uncovered during county inspections were concentrated in Mvita, Changamwe, and Kisauni sub-counties — three of the most densely populated areas in Mombasa and, not coincidentally, the areas that have suffered the most from chronic water shortages.
The county government estimates that illegal connections, combined with dilapidated infrastructure and system leakages, cost Mombasa approximately Sh100 million in lost water revenue every single month.
Governor Nassir has pledged decisive action, personally committing county resources to fix the failing infrastructure:
"We will fix the lines that leak between Mombasa and where the water comes from at our own cost. With all these programmes, Mombasa residents can expect more water in their taps."
Coast Governors Demand the Disbandment of Coast Water Board
The Nyali pipeline crisis has reignited a long-simmering political battle between coastal county governors and the Coast Water Works Development Agency (CWWDA) — the body responsible for bulk water supply across the entire coast region.
A section of coast governors, including Mombasa's Abdulswamad Nassir, Kilifi's Gideon Mung'aro, Taita Taveta's Andrew Mwadime, and Kwale Deputy Governor Chirema Kombo, have called for the outright disbandment of the Coast Water Board, accusing it of incompetence, negligence, and a shocking disregard for the suffering of coastal residents.
Governor Mung'aro was blunt in his frustration:
"We have also raised these issues with the coastal waters, and they have always said that they will repair, but nothing is being done. Now the drought that we have has made the situation worse, and our people are suffering."
Governor Nassir echoed the sentiment with equal force:
"As a county, we are suffering because we have debts, and despite giving funds for the repair of pipes so that our people may get water, the board is still reluctant to do anything."
The governors went as far as threatening to physically storm Coast Water Board offices and forcibly evict staff unless urgent action was taken — a dramatic escalation that reflected genuine desperation from leaders watching their constituents go days and sometimes weeks without water.
The Mzima Pipeline: A Recurring Nightmare
The Nyali Bridge leak is the latest in a series of pipeline crises that have battered the coast region. Earlier this year, a massive rupture of the Mzima pipeline — one of the primary water supply arteries for the entire coast — left residents of Taita Taveta, Kwale, Kilifi, and Mombasa counties in severe distress.
Repair works had to be carried out inside Tsavo National Park, where the main pipeline runs, adding significant logistical and time challenges to restoration efforts.
Residents were vocal in their anger during the Mzima crisis.
"We are asking to have our own supply line so that we don't keep facing water problems," one frustrated resident said.
Others pointed out the cruel irony of receiving water bills for services never delivered:
"We get the bills every month. But we do not receive the services as the water is cut off."
Water infrastructure experts have also warned that much of the region's pipeline system was built in 1923 and 1953 — decades-old infrastructure that was never designed to serve a modern, rapidly growing coastal metropolis.
Long-Term Solutions on the Table
Despite the gloom, several significant infrastructure projects could transform Mombasa's water landscape over the coming years.
The government is constructing the Sh20 billion Mwache Multipurpose Dam in Kwale County, expected to produce 186,000 cubic metres of water per day once complete, with approximately 150,000 cubic metres earmarked for Mombasa — a transformative injection for a county currently receiving just a fraction of what it needs.
The county is also rolling out smart water meters capable of detecting leakages in real time. Already, 1,000 households in Changamwe have been connected to the new system, with a broader rollout planned across the county.
Governor Nassir revealed that discussions are underway with the Ministry of Water to conduct hydrogeological surveys to identify viable sites for deep water wells within Mombasa itself.
"If that works, we will not be relying entirely on water coming from other sources from outside the county," the governor said.
The county has equally been exploring a seawater desalination plant in both the north and south mainland. However, high power costs — estimated at Sh140 per cubic metre — have significantly slowed progress on that front.
A City That Deserves Better
Mombasa is Kenya's second-largest city, a critical economic hub, a major tourism destination, and home to the country's busiest port. It deserves a water system that matches its importance.
The Nyali Bridge pipeline leak is yet another urgent reminder that patching holes as they appear is no longer a viable strategy. What Mombasa needs — and what its residents are increasingly demanding — is a bold, fully funded, long-term water infrastructure overhaul that ends the cycle of crises once and for all.
Until then, the taps will keep running dry.