- The two estates, together with Amalemba, are earmarked for demolition by the county government for renewal of the town.
- Mudiri residents say they are not ready to vacate given the economic hardship due to the Covid-19 crisis.
Image: HILTON OTENYO
Tenants of Mudiri and Otiende estates in Kakamega town have petitioned the Senate to stop the county government from inhumanly evicting them from their houses.
They want the relevant Senate committee to stop the county from taking any action that will disadvantage them until an amicable solution is reached by the county and the National Housing Corporation over ownership of the houses.
The two estates, together with Amalemba estate, are earmarked for demolition by the county government under a town renewal project.
Occupants of Mudiri houses had been served with notices to vacate the houses by July 31 to pave the way for the construction of affordable houses. Some had left but others stayed put.
Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala forwarded the petitions to Senate speaker Kenneth Lusaka on Wednesday.
“I have received two petitions herewith attached for onward transmission to the Senate. Kindly consider them for tabling today, Wednesday, August 5, 2021. Thank you as I look forward to a favourable consideration,” Malala said.
In the petition, Otiende and Amalemba tenants say they have not been issued with any notice by either the county government or the NHC to which they pay their monthly rent.
They want proper public participation in the renewal and reallocation of the houses carried out to ensure all ownership disputes are resolved.
Tenants of Otiende say over 15 county officers led by the county lands and housing executive Robert Makhanu stormed their residences on July 28 and made some unreasonable demands, terming the conduct illegal.
“Some of the individuals who stormed the estate were heard booking the houses they would occupy in the very near future,” they say.
Efforts to reach Makhanu for comment were futile as he neither answered calls nor replied to text messages.
The residents say they do not know where to pay the rent owing to the lack of communication from NHC and the county government.
They, however, say they are not against the redevelopment initiative but want proper procedures followed before they can vacate.
Mudiri residents say they are not ready to vacate given the economic hardship due to the Covid-19 crisis.
They say most of them have schoolchildren whose education would be disrupted, should they move.
They have demanded relocation allowances to enable them to access alternative accommodation and a further six-month period to leave the houses as was the case for Shauri Moyo, Ngara, Kangemi, Ziwani in Nairobi and Buxton Estate tenants in Mombasa.
Governor Wycliffe Oparanya announced on June 28 that his administration would demolish Amalemba, Otiende and Mudiri ‘A’ estates to pave the way for the development of 4,000 affordable housing units.
But tenants on the three estates want assurance in writing that they will be prioritised in the allotment of completed units whether through outright purchase, tenant purchase, or occupation under the normal rental terms
The tender for the project was awarded to Pinnie Agencies Limited of Nairobi in December 2020.
The houses in Otiende are the oldest, having been built through financing by the NHC in the mid-1960s. The NHC still collects rent from the tenants.
The tenants say they were apprehensive that the lack of communication by the county government may have been meant to allow some unscrupulous individuals to grab some of the property for themselves or by proxy.
It has emerged that the investor has already presented Mudiri plans for approval. The physical planning department has, however, raised issues.
The public health department has raised issues over the architectural plans presented by the investor for Mudiri development. They include lack of parking space for two and three bedrooms units, squeezed kitchens and bedrooms and no fire escape.
They also said a geological survey report is missing and part the foundation with steel reinforcement details, core details of the lifts are given in only one section and beam elevation missing in some sections.
The public health department says the doors and windows schedule do not tally with the existing floor area, while solid waste management points have not been indicated on the design plans.
It also said the site plan does not show public utilities like sewer lines, while the drainage design plan does not show the direction of the liquid waste flow.