Nearly 50 families in Nairobi’s Mbotela Estate have been left homeless for a month after what they termed an unlawful eviction by a private developer.
The families, led by Embakasi North Member of Parliament James Gakuya, hit out at the private developer whose identity remains unknown for failing to heed a court order that prohibited their eviction.
Gakuya hit out at the government for condoning what he termed as the illegal evictions of the residents and failing to provide alternative housing for the displaced families.
The MP also took a swipe at Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja and other local leaders for failing to protect Mbotela residents, accusing him of colluding with the influential private developer in evicting the residents.
“The governor of Nairobi knows that you are his voters. True or not true? Did he come to comfort you when the evictions were happening? Why? Because he is in bed with rich, influential people,” Gakuya stated.
The latest development comes after protests were held on Jogoo Road over the evictions, leading to a huge traffic snarl-up after the irate residents occupied the road in protest.
The irate residents laid mattresses in the middle of the road and occupied them to show their discontent as other area residents surrounded them, presumably as a show of support.
Police, who showed up at the scene on Sunday morning, could only watch since the protests, despite traffic disruption, were largely peaceful.
The evictions stemmed from a proposed move by the government to construct affordable housing units in the area encompassing Mbotela, Ahero, Mwanzi Garden, and Jamaa estates.
Aside from the displacement of families, the evictions affected traders in various sectors, including charcoal, clothes, and groceries.
One trader who was among those who occupied the busy Jogoo Road was heard lamenting, "How many leaders over the years have been in office and have seen us on this land? For how many years have we been on this piece of land? Why are they coming to grab it now?"
The residents insist they have occupied the contentious piece of land since the 1960s, while a private developer, who is believed to be behind the demolitions, claims to have acquired ownership of the land in 1992 from the city council of Nairobi.
"This land was given to us in the 1960s. But because we don't have the power, they're forcefully taking it from us," another elderly trader lamented.
