The Nairobi River is a river that flows across

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ...

, the capital city of

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

. It is the main river of the Nairobi River Basin, with several parallel streams flowing eastward. All of the Nairobi basin rivers join east of Nairobi and meet the

Athi River Athi River is a town outside Nairobi, Kenya in Machakos County. The town is named after the Athi River, which passes through. It is also known as Mavoko. Athi River hosts the Mavoko Municipal Council and is the headquarters of Mavoko division ...

, which eventually flows into the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by ...

. The rivers are mostly narrow and highly polluted, though recent efforts to clean the rivers have improved water quality. The main stream, the Nairobi River, bounds the northern city center, where it is partly

canalized River engineering is a discipline of civil engineering which studies human intervention in the course, characteristics, or flow of a river with the intention of producing some defined benefit. People have intervened in the natural course and ...

Tributaries

The Nairobi River originates from the Ondiri Swamp in

Kikuyu Kikuyu or Gikuyu (Gĩkũyũ) mostly refers to an ethnic group in Kenya or its associated language. It may also refer to: *Kikuyu people, a majority ethnic group in Kenya *Kikuyu language, the language of Kikuyu people *Kikuyu, Kenya, a town in Centr ...

. The Nairobi River has several

tributaries A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drain ...

: *

*Gathara-ini River *Gitathuru River *Kiu River *Mathari River *

Mbagathi River The Mbagathi River is a river in Kenya near Nairobi It is a tributary of the Athi River. It forms the southern boundary of Nairobi National Park. Herds of animals cross the river when migrating.It also forms the eastern boundary of Nairobi county p ...

*Nairobi River *Ngong River *RuiRuaka River The Motoine River flows to

Nairobi Dam The Nairobi Dam is an embankment dam on the Nairobi River in Nairobi, Kenya. Background The Dam constructed in 1953 holds back a reservoir with storage capacity of and surface area of . It is a shallow lake with an average depth on only Infl ...

, an

artificial lake A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contr ...

meant to provide potable water to the residents of Nairobi. The stream continues as the Ngong River. Gatharaini stream originates in the marshes of the lower reaches of the Aberdare mountains and flows through various populated areas. The stream is impacted by human activities along its channels and in its catchment. In the upper sections of Kiambaa and Kanunga, the stream passes through swampy and marshy areas, with subsistence agriculture and human settlement as the main types of land use. In the midsections of Kiambu, are extensive coffee crops and

mixed farming Mixed farming is a type of farming which involves both the growing of crops and the raising of livestock. Such agriculture occurs across Asia and in countries such as India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Afghanistan, South Africa, China, Central Europe, Can ...

. In the Eastern Nairobi Section it passes through Nairobi Sewerage Company in Ngundu,Kamulu In the lower sections of Githurai and Zimmerman, the stream is characterized by coffee farming, intensive mixed farming, and industry such as the Kamiti Tannery Factory. The lower stream waters are brackish and foul. In the past, riverine

subsistence agriculture Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow food crops to meet the needs of themselves and their families on smallholdings. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements, with little or no ...

of arrowroots and

kale Kale (), or leaf cabbage, belongs to a group of cabbage (''Brassica oleracea'') cultivars grown for their edible leaves, although some are used as ornamentals. Kale plants have green or purple leaves, and the central leaves do not form a hea ...

was common throughout the area. Efforts to conserve and preserve this river are yet to be initiated. Nairobi's rivers are contaminated due to agriculture, slums, and industry. During rainy seasons, rivers on the low-lying riverbanks flood. Kenya has a second river named Nairobi that starts on

Mount Kenya Mount Kenya (Kikuyu language, Kikuyu: ''Kĩrĩnyaga'', Kamba language, Kamba, ''Ki Nyaa'') is the highest mountain in Kenya and the Highest mountain peaks of Africa, second-highest in Africa, after Mount Kilimanjaro, Kilimanjaro. The highest pea ...

and is a tributary of the Sagana and Tana, the country's longest river. Gathara-ini river

Tributaries

See also