On the night of Monday, November 19, government excavators descended upon the affluent Woodley Estate to demolish houses belonging to 43 residents following the lapse of a three-month notice.
Among those who suffered this fate is a former broadcast journalist and renowned presidential Master of Ceremonies (MC) during Moi’s regime, Sammy Lui.
Lui served as the Director of State Functions, and many Kenyans still remember his voice reverberating across several stadia in the country as he presided over state events.
Having lived in the estate for over 50 years, Lui was among the mostly elderly residents who gathered on Thursday, November 14, for a meeting following the notice of eviction.
The meeting, convened by Woodley Residents Welfare Society (WRWS) sought to engage county officials and chart a way forward that did not include demolitions of houses that have been in the estate for decades.
Lui told journalists at the meeting that the residents had not been included in proper public participation before the county government made this decision.
“We have nothing against the project, but we should be engaged. Even this space you see here would not have been preserved if we were not vigilant,” he said.
“I am among the 43 tenants expected to vacate, yet I have never been part of any public participation process the county claims to have conducted. They approved the demolition of old houses marked as Lot One and Lot Two without consulting us.”
WRWS Secretary Peter Ngatia also expressed his displeasure and urged the county government to discuss with the residents and reach resolutions instead of rushing to demolish their homes.
“We have adequate open space. There is no need to demolish an estate where some tenants have lived for 50 to 70 years, serving this nation. People like Lui, who are elderly and in poor health, should be respected.”
Other elderly residents of Woodley, which was first established during the colonial era by British colonial mayor, Sir Richard Woodley, voiced their discontent with the county’s plans but ultimately the government won and their houses were demolished following forced evictions.
Just a few days after this meeting, Lui is among the first 19 residents whose houses have already been destroyed as of Tuesday morning. Efforts to reach him for comment were fruitless but according to a live Citizen TV report, his house has been demolished.
The county government of Nairobi is carrying out this eviction exercise as part of its urban renewal housing project in partnership with Africa Reit Ltd.
