Over 2,000 residents around the villages of Lilongwe, Mazunguka, Mbuyuni, and Mwangaza in Mombasa are living in fear after receiving an evacuation notice from the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA).
Residents of Chaani, affected by the notice, protested on Wednesday, February 19, against EPRA, which directed them to vacate houses set for demolition on February 26.
The residents argued that they had yet to receive a specific compensation plan before they could consider vacating. Furthermore, they maintained that they were not on the pipeline land and that their houses should not be demolished.
Ezra Okong’o, Mwangaza’s village chairman, revealed that they had received a notice from Kenya Petroleum Refineries Limited (KPRL), stating that they were on company land and had to vacate as the houses were set to be demolished.
According to Okong’o, the area had no dispute with KPRL, but the energy body had an issue with their neighbours. When the order to vacate was issued, they were caught by surprise.
"The energy body had a case with our neighbours, and we were not part of it. But when we received the notice and woke up to X signs on our houses, we were shocked. Our biggest concern is that our rights should not be infringed," the chairman said.
The residents argue that EPRA has no right to evict them from the land since they are not under KPRL but on Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) land.
"We acknowledge that we don't have title deeds or any documents to prove ownership. However, if KPA asks us to leave, we will. But we have no involvement with KPRL, and we are not on the pipeline," Brian Makireti, another resident, revealed.
The residents have disclosed that they have already secured an injunction to stop the demolitions and are set to appear in court on Monday, February 24.
They are now calling on President William Ruto to intervene, as they have nowhere to go despite being at the forefront of supporting government projects such as the Social Health Authority (SHA) and the Affordable Housing Programme.
EPRA has issued eviction notices to over 300 residents in Mwangaza, 500 residents in Lilongwe, and more than 1,200 residents in Mazunguka and Mbuyuni villages.
The notice comes after Energy CS Opiyo Wandayi declared that the Ministry will crack down on unlawful occupants of the five-acre Kenya Pipeline Company land and ensure they vacate.
“It is a matter that is protracted but which I am committed to solving once and for all,” Wandayi said on Thursday, September 27 in Mombasa after a tour of the area.
