•Report says house demolition, police violence, arbitrary arrest and high cost of living have made slums a living hell.
•Between April 15 and May 6, the monitors recorded 2,589 cases of violence and harassment by police.
Image: JOHN CHESOLI
A UN human rights agency has accused police of fomenting a humanitarian crisis in the slums.
In a survey conducted together with the Social Justice Centres Working Group, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights found that despite the public apology by President Uhuru Kenyatta for police violence against civilians, brutality, harassment and arbitrary arrest remained pervasive especially in the slums.
Beatings, use of live ammunition, teargas, sexual violence and damage to property attributable to the law enforcement bodies were rampant.
Those walking out during curfew for all reasons including emergency situations are met with batons and criminal gangs. In other words, life is practically unbearable in these almost forgotten areas.
The survey was conducted in nine counties of Kiambu, Nairobi, Taita Taveta, Kilifi, Kakamega, Kisumu, Kajiado, Vihiga and Mombasa involving 182 communities. In total, 2949 respondents were engaged in the monitoring survey.
In Nairobi, slums such as Kiambiu, Kiamaiko, Mukuru and Dandora were the most affected. Police action in these places has resulted in deaths and injury of innocent people.
Between April 15 and May 6, the monitors recorded 2,589 cases of violence and harassment as means of police enforcing the curfew and dispersing crowds in markets.
It monitored how the people accessed water, housing, health, security, sexual and gender-based violence, enforcement of the night curfew as well as the socio-economic impacts of the Covid-19 containment efforts.
The report showed that with the restrictive containment measures, prices of basic commodities including water and soap which are vital in the preventing infection had gone up as well as food and transport costs.
Further, the despite the heavy rains and cold nights as well as the curfews, the houses of thousands of families were destroyed either by the government despite court orders or floods, putting lives are immense danger.
"An issue of serious concern is the number of families that have been rendered homeless by forced eviction carried out by the government during the Covid19 crisis," the report reads.
Close to 8,000 families were rendered homeless in a May 4 night demolition carried out by the state at Kariobangi sewage area as the land was claimed by the Nairobi water company.
The exercise was against a valid Lands and Environment Court injunction order. A further 1,500 families were rendered homeless in a May 16 night demolition in Ruai.
The UN agency wants the police and rights watchdog entities including Ipoa, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights as well as civil society groups listed as essential service providers to monitor and document the conduct of the police.
Safe houses should also be designated to rescue the victims of domestic violence which has been shown to be escalating.
Edited by Henry Makori