The Nairobi County government, led by Governor Johnson Sakaja, has relocated squatters from the disputed Kariobangi sewer land, triggering criticism from certain Kenyan quarters.
In an announcement on Tuesday, Sakaja shared images of his meeting with leaders from the Kariobangi Sewerage Farmers Self-Help Group, representing the evicted residents during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sakaja stated, “Met the leadership of Kariobangi Sewerage Farmers Self Help Group representing thousands of residents who were forcibly and inhumanely evicted from their homes during the height of the COVID pandemic in 2020.
Today the County Executive Committee of Nairobi has approved their resettlement on the land as promised to them. May justice prevail.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, these squatters endured cold nights outdoors in Nairobi amidst heavy rainfall when government bulldozers demolished their homes on the contested land.
The demolitions, which occurred under President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration, faced widespread condemnation, with residents alleging that the government had ignored a court order preventing the eviction.
The forced evictions were abrupt, leaving many unable to salvage their belongings.
The government defended its actions, citing the need to expand sewerage treatment and management in Nairobi County, alleviating pressure on the Ruai and Njiru sewer plants.
However, Governor Sakaja’s recent move has faced criticism, with detractors accusing him of attempting to seize public land covertly.
Activist Boniface Mwangi is among those opposing the squatters’ resettlement, asserting that the governor is unlawfully allocating public land to private individuals.
“The Kariobangi land is public land, and the governor has no authority to allocate it.
Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company will lose this land, affecting the expansion of the sewer treatment plant.
The ongoing development of high-rise buildings in various parts of Nairobi requires an expanded sewerage treatment plant; where will they expand to?” questioned Mwangi.
Many Kenyans echoed similar concerns, warning that the city might face sewage waste overload in the absence of adequate treatment plants to accommodate the growing population.
“This government is counterproductive. Interior CS Kindiki recently overturned President Uhuru Kenyatta’s order to protect 4000 acres of Ruai land.
Kindiki’s error isn’t surprising; there might be a scandal brewing.
I thought land was scarce in Nairobi. Where will this piece used to settle these people come from? Sakaja is consistently making unpopular moves,” remarked Simon Ongaro.
“I came to Kariobangi North in 2015; that place next to sewers was an open field.
We used to pass there on our way to the market.
It was unoccupied.
Slowly, mabati structures emerged, and now we have lived here since independence. Kenyans!” added Kisibo.
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