Nairobi County Demolishes Businesses in Lavington

Demolitions in the leafy suburb of Lavington in Nairobi began on Thursday.

Nairobi county enforcement department demolished illegal structures in Lavington as part of an operation that has taken place in several parts of the city.

However, the demolitions were not as peaceful as police used force on traders who refused to leave the area.

The county government of Nairobi has demolished illegal structures in parts of the city including Mutindwa market, Fedha estate and Westlands market.

[caption caption="County officers bringing down a shop"][/caption]

The exercise is part of efforts to transform Nairobi's look and see traders operate around the designated areas only.

Traders have accused the county government of failing to give them sufficient notice and engaging in brutality during the demolitions.

City Senator Johnson Sakaja faulted Governor Mike Sonko over "inhumane demolition" of structures by the county government and further asked the county boss to direct the city inspectorate department to be humane and considerate.

The demolitions in Lavington came in the wake of the Kibera ones which have rendered hundreds of families homeless.

On Wednesday, the slum residents asked the court to stop their eviction from the state-owned land, a week after authorities demolished the homes of 30,000 Nairobians living in one of Africa's largest slums.

[caption caption="County officers dragging a trader away in Lavington"][/caption]

Amnesty International termed the demolitions which left 30,000 residents homeless as inhuman, highlighting the difficulties faced by poor people living in slums as African cities expand rapidly.

About half of Africa's 470 million city residents live in informal settlements, a figure that is expected to rise as the World Bank predicts the continent's urban population will double to 1 billion people by 2040.

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