- Kindiki said most people who have built structures on riparian spaces have for a long time disregarded the country’s planning laws.
- He said the current administration will not take the matter lightly and all who live or have businesses on riparian land must move.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki now says that since the orders to have people living on riparian land were given, over 181,000 people have moved from the areas close to the Nairobi Rivers corridor. https://rb.gy/lg6c2v
Image: MINA
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki now says that since the orders to have people living on riparian land were given, over 181,000 people have moved from the areas close to the Nairobi Rivers corridor.
Kindiki said most people who have built structures on riparian spaces have for a long time disregarded the country’s planning laws.
He said the current administration will not take the matter lightly and all who live or have businesses on riparian land must move.
He insisted that should they fail to move, the government would forcefully have them vacate.
“Many of us in this country have disregarded our planning laws, we’ve encroached on riparian reserves and the floods today are becoming more vicious and more dangerous because of our inability to protect our riparian corridors,” Kindiki said.
“This time around, the government has ordered all those people who have constructed houses, businesses those who are farming in riparian corridors to vacate and if they don’t, we will remove them by force,”
Kindiki added that while this has only started in Nairobi, the enforcement will extend to the rest of the country.
The Interior CS said that the directives are for their safety and that of the country.
“Tumeanza kule Nairobi na tumetoa 181,000 people who had constructed on the banks of the Nairobi Rivers (Nairobi, Mathare, and Ngong rivers) and we have other places across the country where people have built on the riparian corridors and they must move.”
Kindiki thanked all Kenyans who heeded to calls to move and did so, voluntarily.
He, however, warned those who remain that the government will not allow them to continue occupying riparian corridors even after the rains.
“We are going all across the country reclaiming all riparian corridors.”
Last week, Kindiki directed all persons living in riparian corridors and within the 30-metre radius of rivers across the country to vacate immediately or be forcefully removed.
The Interior CS also ordered the removal of buildings erected illegally within the 30-metre radius of Nairobi Rivers (Mathare, Ngong and Nairobi Rivers).
The Nairobi Rivers operation is overseen by the Nairobi Regional and County Security Teams together with the Nairobi City County Government and the Multi-agency Team under the auspices of the National Disaster Operation Centre (NDOC).
He reaffirmed that the government has put in place adequate measures to provide temporary shelter, food and non-food essential supplies to all those that will be affected by the demolition and evacuation directive.