President Uhuru Kenyatta has promised to compensate residents of Mukuru Kwa Njenga affected by the evictions and demolitions meant to pave way for the construction of the Nairobi Expressway.
Aron Asiba Matendechere, famed for his Ntakufinya phrase, was among the people affected by the demolition according to his wife in an interview with a local TV station on Friday, November 19.
His wife, Wolpher Moraa, stated that she has been a resident of Mukuru Kwa Njenga for over 25 years. Together, they have accumulated wealth with her husband, Ntakufinya man.
"I came to Mukuru kwa Njenga in 1995 while in class five. This demolition has really affected me as I even don't have any source of income, I don't have food for kids and there is nowhere I can go and leave the little things I have," she stated.
She further noted that the celebrity status of her husband, Ntakufinya man, has made their lives even harder as they have not received any help from the government except a few well-wishers.
However, the president has intervened in their plight. In a message delivered by Nairobi Metropolitan Director, General Mohammed Badi, he assured the residents that Uhuru will use his own money to compensate the affected families.
Badi urged the residents not to encroach the area set aside for the construction of access roads, to ensure ease of access in the area as well as improved service delivery including better power line planning, speedy response during emergencies; ambulance services, other responses.
The NMS boss added that the government will cater for all the expenses including building materials for all the affected families.
"Let us be peaceful because no one who used to live here will be left to suffer. We will pay for all the construction materials. The president himself will pay from his pocket," Badi told the residents amidst cheers.
For almost a week, the residents have been subjected to despair and have had to spend time in the cold, after the government demolished a place they had called home for almost a decade.
The families have been forced to construct makeshift structures even as the government insists that their houses were built on the road reserves.
"This road will act as an exit from the Expressway at a link road that is being constructed around City Cabanas junction. Businesses that are situated along the road, like Jua Kali are expected to pick up," Nairobi Regional Commissioner, James Kianda, stated.
