Families Face Eviction as Nairobi's Starehe Estate is Demolished

An aerial view of Kaloleni Estate in Nairobi.
An aerial view of Kaloleni Estate in Nairobi.
File

Close to 360 families living in Nairobi's Starehe Estate are facing eviction to pave way for the government's affordable housing project.

On Monday, December 28, 2020, Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) employees embarked on disconnecting power lines from the housing units.

Demolition of the houses is to start today, December 29, with reports indicating that the government plans to get the project underway in January 2021.

The estate has been around for close to 80 years.

The housing units located along Park Road in Ngara
The affordable housing units located along Park Road in Ngara, Nairobi County.
File

Residents of the houses, who are civil servants claimed that the eviction is in bad faith. They alleged that their representatives held talks with the office of the ombudsman, the ministry of housing and agreed to delay the demolitions.

Starehe Residents Association Chairman Adam Katana stated that they had an agreement with the relevant authorities to give an allowance for schooling children to complete their terms.

"We had a meeting with the ombudsman, the ministry of housing secretary Mr Buja and we agreed, that our children be allowed to finish their school terms then the demolitions can embark," Katana stated.

He further argued that most residents were casual civil servants and their earnings would be crippled by the high rents they would encounter outside the estate.

"Some of the people here work casually. They serve tea in government offices, they clean offices. Their housing allowance is about Ksh3,000. These houses are also closer to town.

"If you evacuate this person, and he goes to a place like Rongai, can you guarantee they will afford the rents there, let alone the bus fare," Katana argued.

He further stated that the evacuation will affect learning for students and pupils schooling nearby.

"I would urge they restore our electricity, and allow us to stay here until April next year, and when we are done with our KCPE exams then we can move," Debra Yon, a class eight pupil remarked.

"Kindly allow us more time. It is not our own doing. We have no salary, we have loans," Anne Wafula, a resident, pleaded.

A bulldozer at work during a past demolition exercise in Nairobi.
A bulldozer at work during a past demolition exercise in Nairobi.