AAK Leads Nairobi Rivers Regeneration Tour Across Kamkunji, Gikomba, and Kiambu

The Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK) held a site tour today under the Nairobi Rivers Regeneration programme, with participants scheduled to visit locations in Kamkunji and Gikomba as well as a site in Kiambu.

The tour was organised by AAK's Architects Chapter, Town Planners Chapter and Landscape Architects Chapter, in partnership with the Nairobi Rivers Commission (NRC), which hosted the event. It was held ahead of the Nairobi Biennale, scheduled for September 6 to 12 at the ASK Showground in Jamhuri Park.

According to the event programme, two sites were listed for the tour: Kamkunji Community Park and the adjacent Gikomba Traders Market, an area tied to Nairobi's informal second-hand goods trade, and a second site at City Carton in Kiambu.

Registration was structured around an early bird rate and a standard rate. Members registering before August 16 paid Sh1,500, non-members paid Sh2,000, and students paid Sh1,000. From August 17, rates rose to Sh2,000 for members, Sh2,500 for non-members and Sh1,500 for students.

The tour falls under the wider Nairobi Rivers Regeneration programme, a government-backed initiative targeting the rehabilitation of the Nairobi, Ngong and Mathare rivers. The programme addresses pollution, solid waste dumping and informal settlement encroachment along the riverbanks, and involves multiple government agencies, county authorities and development partners.

Gikomba, one of the listed sites, sits along a stretch of the Nairobi River corridor that has faced longstanding challenges linked to waste disposal and market runoff affecting downstream water quality. Kamkunji, the neighbouring area, is a densely populated part of the city that has featured in past discussions around informal trade and riverine land management.

The tour precedes wider industry discussion expected at the AAK Annual Convention 2026, themed "Shifting the Built Environment From Fragility to Resilience," scheduled for the Diamond Leisure Lodge in Diani from September 16 to 19.