Emotions ran high as victims of Chokaa-Mihang’o demolitions in Nairobi’s Embakasi East constituency narrated their ordeal to a House team.
One resident committed suicide and another collapsed and died when their houses were brought down by Kenya Power bulldozers in February.
The desperate residents numbering 20 appearing before National Assembly’s Energy committee described how they lost property and lives during the exercise despite assurance from Kenya Power that those who were out of the delineated power line wayleaves would be spared.
They told the committee Kenya Power bulldozers descended on their properties in February, flattening their houses in total disregard of a court order stopping such a move.
The committee chaired by deputy vice chairperson Robert Pukose (Endebess) also heard that one of the residents committed suicide after his house was brought down and another collapsed and died.
Mary Mureithi, Zainab Hassan, Makenzi Odera, John Walicha, Saad Salim, Clayton Omwenga and Vincent Arabai were among 500 victims who watched as police arrested and beat up resdients before bundling them into a lorry on the morning of February 10.
“When we had a meeting in which the area DCC was the chair, the wayleaves officer and the chief wayleave officer assured the residents that houses that were not within the wayleave wouldnot be demolished,” Arabai told the committee.
“The demolitions were so painful that we lost two residents: one hanged himself and the other one just collapsed and died. Our lives have never been the same again.”
The residents narrated how they are forced to service expensive bank loans they took to build their houses.
Area MP Babu Owino had petitioned Parliament seeking to probe Kenya Power over loss of property of the residents.
Owino further asked the Energy committee to force KP to compensate those whose houses were demolished and business premises affected at Chokaa area.
“The same government issued documents and it cannot be that the same government coming to demolish houses which took the residents years to set up. Their lives have been changed,” Babu said.
The committee will on Thursday next week visit the area to ascertain the claims by the residents and assess the level of damage.
