Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has said he will not allow tycoons or any private developers to oppress the poor by evicting them from their land.
Speaking on Wednesday at an Iftar dinner, he said that despite his and President Uhuru Kenyatta's directive to stop demolitions and evictions of residents, the practice continues.
Sonko hosted more than 500 Muslims at City Hall.
Tycoons persist in evicting people, which mostly results in violence, leaving innocent residents injured, he said.
“I will be the first to die before you are evicted. We don’t want that nonsense. God knows why you are living in slums. It is not your choice,” Sonko said.
Evictions mostly target vulnerable people, especially those in informal settlements.
Sonko said 75 per cent of Nairobi's population is made up of people living in informal settlements. Allowing them to be harassed by developers is akin to killing the very people who entrusted him with leadership, he said.
Sonko also urged the Kenya Urban Roads Authority to first engage the county before planning to construct any road that might disrupt human settlements.
"As much as development is Nairobi is vital, people's lives matter and we have to consult and see how roads can be built without oppressing the poor," he said.
I will be the first to die before you are evicted. We don’t want that nonsense. God knows why you are living in slums. It is not your choice
Embakasi South MP Julius Mawathe applauded the governor for fighting for the vulnerable.
He also said developers and county officials who colluding will be taken to task.
"All private developers who grab public land and evict people should face the law. People in informal settlements deserve peace like the rest of people who live in Nairobi," Mawathe said.
The dinner was attended by Muslims leaders including Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (Supreme) director general Abdullatif Shaaban, Mohamed Swalihu, an imam at Jamia Mosque and Executive members of his administration.
Swalihu praised Sonko for defending the poor and vulnerable, saying it is a God-given duty.
Shaaban said Sonko was vigorously fighting corruption.
The governor praised President Uhuru Kenyatta for ordering the release of imported goods held at Inland Container Depot in Embakasi. The move helps small traders, he said.
Sonko said more should be done to ensure the country is not a dumping site for counterfeit and sub-standard goods.
