An excavator demolishes a section of the 170 houses in Changamwe to pave the way for an Affordable Housing Project./KNA
Mombasa Senator Mohamed Faki and Changamwe MP Omar Mwinyi have condemned the forceful demolition of 170 houses at the Changamwe National Housing Estate despite the existence of a court order.
The leaders warned that the ODM leadership could reconsider its support for the broad-based government arrangement over what they termed a blatant disregard for the rule of law.
More than 800 families at the Changamwe National Housing Estate were jolted from their sleep by a heavy police contingent in the wee hours of Sunday morning. The estate is set to be redeveloped by the government.
Attempts by local leaders to persuade the police to allow affected tenants time to salvage their belongings fell on deaf ears as an excavator tore into the estate, its massive steel bucket crashing through rooftops and walls while frantic tenants scrambled to rescue household items from the collapsing houses.
At the same time, anti-riot police lobbed teargas canisters to disperse angry residents and leaders protesting the demolition.
Changamwe MP Omar Mwinyi (L) being stopped by Changamwe Sub-County Police Commander Philemon Nyakombo (R) during the demolition. /KNA
Changamwe MP Omar Mwinyi said County Housing officials had issued a one-month eviction notice without consulting local leaders or conducting public participation.
“We wanted negotiations with them, but they refused. We went to the court twice, and we got injunction orders,” stated Mwinyi.
He disclosed that 34 tenants had yesterday received relocation money ranging from Sh4,000 to Sh10,000, which he termed as meagre and a mockery considering that most of them have lived in the estate for over three decades.
Angry residents of the Changamwe National Housing Estate staged a protest against the demolition. /KNA
The legislator emphasised that tenants should have been involved in the process, noting that many have children attending nearby schools and that the abrupt demolition would disrupt their education and jeopardise their performance in national examinations.
He further faulted the police for allegedly arriving with “goons” from a neighbouring constituency, claiming they looted property from some of the houses before they were cornered and beaten by angry tenants.
“We thought in the broad-based government we would be involved and consulted on issues affecting our localities and that our views would be considered. The way things are, maybe we are still in the opposition. If we were in government, we would not be punished together with our constituents,” decried the visibly angry legislator.
Senator Mohamed Faki said it was ironic that Kenya is a signatory to international conventions against forced displacement, yet tenants were forcibly evicted despite the existence of a valid court order.
“If National Housing is above the law, we should be told. If the police are above the law, we should also be told because it is not possible for a court order to be disregarded,” he stated.
He noted that the authorities should have engaged local leaders to find an alternative solution and resolve the stalemate amicably.
The chairman of the tenants, Meshack Okeyo, said residents were not opposed to government development projects, adding that they had agreed with officials from the Housing Department that the eviction notices would be suspended, only to wake up to police supervising the demolition.
“We support government projects but any eviction must be done in a humane way. This action should be called off to allow for discussions. We don’t want anyone to be hurt,” stated Okeyo.
Dominic Mariga said if some officials were usurping their powers, the Head of State should take decisive action against them.
