Mombasa County Assembly is now accusing the national government of participating in forceful evictions and demolition of houses in Mombasa's Dunga Unuse Slums.
On Tuesday, the Assembly asked the Committee on Fiscal Planning, Land and Housing, to launch a thorough investigation into the alleged evictions and plans by a powerful individual to grab the land.
The private investor according to the assembly, could be enjoying the national government’s protection.
During Wednesday's Assembly sitting, Old Town MCA Amur Abdalla said that the skirmishes witnessed during evictions, was a way of the ruling coalition to negatively taint the image of Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho and his administration.
Abdalla's colleague from Port Reitz Fadhil Makarani, added that the individual was being used by government and planned to set up a container yard on the contentious land.
The ward representative strongly opposed the evictions and demolitions urging Speaker Thadius Rajwayi to ensure that the land in question was repossessed.
The accusations by the county assembly implied that national government and the National Land Commission (NLC) were to blame for the 50 houses brought down in Dunga Unuse slum.
However, NLC Chair Muhammad Swazuri stated that the allegations were false, adding that the commission had no authority to order evictions and that they were trying to deal with the ownership issue of the land.
“In Kenya when land has such a dispute, usually the files get lost. If you hear the files are lost, then you know there is something going on,” said Swazuri.
It is reported that 300 families have been displaced as their houses in the slum area were forcefully demolished about two weeks ago. The internally displaced families are reported to be sheltered by the Red Cross.
