Stop 'inhumane' demolitions, Aladwa tells Uhuru

Makadara MP George Aladwa has asked President Uhuru Kenyatta to stop ongoing demolitions in various parts of the country.

Aladwa also wants any planned evictions halted until the third peak of the Covid-19 curve is flattened. 

Thousands of city residents have been rendered homeless in the last two weeks as bulldozers descended on their houses and brought them down.

A week ago, over 100 families were forced to sleep out in the cold after their houses were brought down in Njiru.

The families said the government had decided to “eat and bury" them alive when jobs are being lost, the rainy season has begun and schools are closed.

Residents claimed there was no notice of demolitions and they had little time to salvage their properties from the houses.

“Why is the government always targeting the Wanjikus? How do we even protect ourselves from Covid-19 if we don’t have a roof over our heads or food to eat?” Tabitha Nduku, 28, asked.

Earlier, structures belonging to more than 4,000 people were destroyed at Uhuru Market along Jogoo Road in Makadara.

Aladwa wants the government to compensate the affected families.

“The inhumane demolitions and evictions conducted in Njiru and parts of Makadara constituency have left hundreds homeless and some injured with the relevant authorities giving a blind eye to their cries,” he said.

The legislator, who is the ODM Nairobi branch chairman, wondered why evictions and demolitions were allowed when the President has restricted movement in and out of Nairobi and imposed an 8pm to 4am curfew.

“It is wrong for any government of the day to subject its citizens to double tragedy where they have to battle the hard-economic times brought about by Covid-19 and at the same time being told to look for new homes at a time when the same government has restricted movement,” he added.

Aladwa called on the authorities to issue fresh eviction notices to any other targeted areas. He called for the resettlement of those who have been evicted from areas affected so far.

Last year, the government was criticised for demolishing houses in Ruai and Kariobangi at the height of the pandemic, leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless.

(edited by o. owino)