My government will issue two years notice before any city evictions -Sakaja

Nairobi Gubernatorial candidate Johnsosn Sakaja has pledged that, if elected, a two year notice will be issued before any evictions in the county.

If possible, he added that the people affected be allocated alternative space before demolition occurs.

“We have proposed that people who need to be moved from public or private land should be given two-years notice. These incidents where people leave their homes to go to work and return to find no home, or worse are woken up in the middle of the night by bulldozers, should and must come to an end,” Sakaja stated.

Last week, Kenya Kwanza coalition presidential candidate William Ruto vowed to “end all unauthorized evictions and property demolitions” if he manages to clinch the Presidency in the August polls.

While unveiling his manifesto, Ruto labelled “the kind of spectacle” that has been seen in previous demolitions around the country as “inhumane, unconstitutional and should never be allowed to happen again”.

While citing the 2020 Kariobangi evictions which were carried out by the government, Ruto said he would not sanction such demolitions at the expense of the livelihoods of Kenyans.

“We will not allow such illegal demolitions including those that do not follow due process,” he said, adding that on legal demolitions his administration will “provide enough notice and provide compensation where necessary”.

Mukuru kwa Njenga has been faced with demolitions for the past eight months.

Since October last year, hundreds of residents have been agonising over their next move after the government started demolishing their houses to pave way for a link road.

Those living on road reserves were asked to vacate for the expansion of Catherine Ndereba Road. It will link the area to the Nairobi Expressway.

However, it appears the demolitions went beyond the marked area. 

As a result, at least 14 junior police officers were summoned in January to record statements over the demolitions at Mukuru kwa Njenga slums on December 27, 2021. 

The officers were among security agents involved in an operation by the Nairobi Metropolitan Services to bring down houses in the slum to allow for the road expansion.

In April 2020, about 5,000 residents in Kariobangi North estate were left homeless after the government flattened houses where they had lived for 12 years. The state was repossessing the Dandora Estate Waste Sewerage Plant land.

On May 8, the national government said it had suspended further demolitions for four months as the country fought Covid-19.

However, barely two weeks after, at least 1,500 city residents were forced to spend a night in the cold and heavy rain following the Ruai demolitions.

They were said to be living on the disputed 3,000 acres meant for expansion of the Sewerage Treatment plan in Ruai.

When demolitions commenced in April, residents obtained a court order stopping the evictions and bulldozing. 

Ten months later, the demolitions resumed as hundreds of Njiru residents were left homeless.

The demolitions were carried out as Covid-19 cases rose daily. An 8pm to 4am curfew was imposed and Nairobi was classified as a “diseased zone", with four other counties.

Residents claimed there was no prior notice of the demolitions, which caught them entirely off guard, with little time to salvage their belongings.

The demolition of structures, however, caused an uproar from legislators, especially from the Senate stating that it was inhumane as the country is battling the spread of the coronavirus.

Senators led by Sakaja have demanded compensation for the families and legal action against officials involved in the illegal allocation of public land.

Three Cabinet Secretaries have been summoned to explain the eviction of more than 7,000 families in Nairobi’s Kariobangi North which was deemed inhumane.

The meeting followed a petition by Sakaja who demanded answers over the evictions that left thousands of families homeless.

In addition, Sakaja said he was committed to repossessing grabbed public land and restoring public facilities for community use.

"Some people have been saying this land where Mukuru centre is belongs to them. We are assuring you the ownership title will revert to the public and the centre will continue to serve the people of Mukuru,” he affirmed.

Sakaja also said that he will work hand in hand with Kenya Power and Nairobi Water Company to streamline electricity and water distribution within the Nairobi informal settlements like Mukuru kwa Njenga, and Reuben.