On May 3, Interior CS Kithure Kindiki ordered the demolition of all buildings in Nairobi in the riparian reserve that technically extends 30 metres on either side of any river. It is not clear but the reserve seems to be eight metres on either side of any stream.
Many Kenyans died in the terrible floods of April. Many houses in Nairobi are built too close to rivers and streams. On that we all agree.
But the application of the Kindiki ruling has been haphazard and unfair.
The latest selective demolition is in the Industrial Area beside a canal which may not even be a river and where Nairobi county issued property titles in the 1970s. Allegedly four owners paid bribes to save their buildings from being demolished.
The last wave of demolitions in 2016 was similarly selective. One fuel station above a river was demolished but has since been rebuilt in exactly the same place. This time around, it appears safe, like the nearby high-rise flats which actually touch the river. Expensive houses in Runda and elsewhere have also been spared.
We need consistency. Demolitions in Nairobi should apply either to all buildings in the riparian reserves, or none at all.
Quote of the day: "Every time I appoint someone to a vacant position, I make a hundred unhappy and one ungrateful."
Louis XIV
He was crowned King of France on June 7, 1654
