Turmoil as freedom fighter, 81, homeless after slum demolitions

Gladys Wanjiku Maina. (Courtesy)

Hundreds of families were rendered homeless after local authorities demolished houses built on riparian land in Nairobi’s slum areas in April.

Among those affected was the country’s freedom fighter Gladys Wanjiku Maina, who decried unfair treatment after her residence was demolished during the recent Mathare evictions.

The 81-year-old grandmother was left homeless as the place she had called home for more than 50 years was destroyed. The government took this measure to save lives by evicting people from land within 30 meters of river lines in the city after several residents in the Mathare area were tragically swept away by raging floods.

Hailing from Mathioya in Murang’a County, Gladys Wanjiku and her late husband settled in Mathare in 1970 after actively participating in the struggle for the country’s independence in the 1960s. The couple had moved from Murang’a due to life-threatening land disputes.

“My father was detained by the colonial masters during the struggle for independence, my elder brothers fought and chased away the white man, and I was the one delivering food to Mau Mau fighters in Nyandarua Forest in Kiamuturi. Is demolishing my home the way to repay me for fighting for the freedom we all enjoy today?” Wanjiku lamented in pain.

The aftermath of the Mathare demolitions extends beyond the physical. The loss of her property dealt Wanjiku a severe blow.

The senior citizen, now under the care of her firstborn daughter born in 1963, lives in a polythene structure along the Mathare River, as rebuilding their lives has proved futile due to old age.

“They destroyed everything—my bed and four cooking pots that I held dear. I’m left with only one pot. It is taboo in our Kikuyu culture to destroy the pots of an elderly woman, let alone bring down the houses. I ask the authorities to come and make amends.

“Let them come and slaughter a goat here according to our tradition; this is the only way to cleanse the mess they created.”

Wanjiku also urged the government to find a piece of land elsewhere and build a new house for the family.