[PHOTOS] Kalonzo donates foodstuffs to Mukuru kwa Njenga residents

In Summary

•Musyoka made the courtesy visit and donated two tonnes of flour.

Demolitions in Mukuru kwa Njenga started on October 12, 2021.

by TRACY MUTINDA Lifestyle, Entertainment Writer

13 January 2022 - 15:12

Wiper Party Leader Kalonzo Musyoka addresses residents of Mukuru during a courtesy visit to distribute foodstuff to victims of the demolitions at Sisal Zone in Mukuru Kwa Njenga, Nairobi on January 13, 2022.

Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka donated foodstuffs to the residents of Mukuru Kwa Njenga on Thursday.

Musyoka made the courtesy visit and donated two tonnes of flour to the residents whose houses were demolished late last year.

Mukuru Kwa Njenga residents on a makeshift house follow through as political leaders address them during a courtesy visit by Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka who brought in food distributions as a relief after their houses were demolished late last year. January 13, 2022/ CHARLENE MALWA

He pointed out that the right to life, shelter and dignity for every Kenyan is enshrined in the supreme law.

"What happened in Mukuru Kwa Njenga was inhuman and unconstitutional. Our visit to offer hope and support in terms of foodstuff was in the knowledge that we are our brothers' and sisters' keeper," Kalonzo said.

Demolitions in Mukuru started on October 12, 2021. The residents living along road reserves on Catherine Ndereba Road were asked to vacate with immediate effect as the government commenced demolitions to pave way for construction of the Nairobi Expressway.

But officials extended the eviction to private land following a court order amid resistance from those targeted.

Human rights organizations vowed to institute charges against those involved in the chaos.

Last week, President Uhuru Kenyatta gave a directive that the victims be resettled.

Cabinet Secretaries Fred Matiangi (Interior) and Farida Karoney (Lands) met some of the victims in South B’s Mariakani Christian Centre and pledged to always look into the welfare of the majority as opposed to few.

They held a consultative meeting with Mukuru Kwa Njenga elders before agreeing on the way forward.

Karoney said they will probably within a month document those on the land in question, consult the occupants and the owner, audit documents available and agree before settling the victims.

“We are going to work with the community in order to regularise the settlement and also the landowner who has the title deed,” she said.

Former MP David Murathe addresses Mukuru residents during a courtesy visit by Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka where he donated 2 tonnes of flour to aid them as a relief after their houses were demolished late last year. January 13, 2022/ CHARLENE MALWA

Matiangi said the challenge in the slum is complex but the president is determined to find a lasting solution.

“We have to strike a balance between human rights and ownership of property. We have hopes of settling this issue,” he said.

Embakasi East MP Julius Mawathe speaks during Kalonzo Musyoka's courtesy visit to Mukuru kwa Njenga residents on January 13, 2021.
Image: CHARLENE MALWA