Pregnant mum sleeps in rubble after city demolition

An excavator demolishes buildings in Nyama Villa estate, Kayole, on December 18 last year /VICTOR IMBOTO
An excavator demolishes buildings in Nyama Villa estate, Kayole, on December 18 last year /VICTOR IMBOTO

A pregnant woman and her two children slept in rubble in a partially demolished house following Tuesday’s demolition in Nyama Villa estate in Kayole.

Lydia Adhiambo was forced to put up in a deathtrap, without bedding, after the demolitions rendered her and her children homeless.

All her household items were destroyed in the Tuesday morning incident that caught many tenants and homeowners unawares.

“At the moment we are homeless, I’m soon going to have my third born child. Where do I start?” she posed.

“I have a daughter who is joining form One next year and had paid full rent until February so that I could concentrate in sending her to school. But now I don’t know what to do.”

When the Star visited the site yesterday, Adhiambo was among the hundreds of people who were being chased away by armed police officers from the partially knocked buildings.

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The police arrived in the area at about 9 am with sniffer dogs and kicked out all those who were still inside the structures.

The houses were demolished after private businessman Peter Maina obtained a court order to evict the occupants from the 20-acre plot where the estate stood.

Maina is the proprietor of Muthithi Investments Ltd and Marble Arch Hotel.

According to court papers seen by the Star, Maina, through Muthithi Investments Ltd, sued 23 homeowners for illegally occupying the parcel, LR No. 23917.

He first obtained the order to evict the occupiers in May 2014.

The order gave the homeowners and their tenants 90 days to vacate, but it was ignored forcing him to go back to the Environment and Land Court.

In the latest order issued on September 17, 2018, the Court directed IG Joseph Boinnet, Kayole OCPD and OCS to oversee the exercise.

Demolitions did not continue yesterday.

Tenants of the houses targeted for demolitions were vacating the flats for fear of their items being destroyed.

More than 50 police officers patrolled the area.

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