Over 200 Embakasi residents left homeless after demolitions

Residents of Mradi in Embakasi, Nairobi, salvage building materials after demolition of houses on disputed land on September 24, 2024. [Kanyiri Wahito, Standard] 

Residents of Mradi in Embakasi East constituency, Nairobi, have been rendered homeless following demolitions.

Bulldozers descended on their houses at 6am Tuesday, leaving them stranded.

Residents said they had been given a notice to vacate the area.

This comes eight months after an LPG tanker explosion in Mradi left a trail of death and reduced several houses to ashes.

“The demolition, which was overseen by Administration Police officers started at around 6am in the morning and it is unfortunate that it happened to us just few months after the fire incident,” said Daniel Kibicho, a resident.

Kibicho said he lost 100 chicken in the demolition.

Three storey houses and several shanties were pulled down by the bulldozers.

"Yes we had a notice to move out but we didn't expect the landowner to evict us in that inhumane manner,” Kibicho said.

Embakasi East MP Babu Owino condemned the incident on his social media accounts.

“It is sad for the government to allow demolition of houses at Mradi in Embakasi East yet at the same time they are promoting construction of affordable housing. People have been left homeless and it really pains me to see children, women and men lose their homes. Sad indeed,” said Owino.

The affected residents blamed President Wiliam Ruto for reneging on his 2022 pre-election promise to end illegal demolitions.

“The President said no one will be forcefully evicted like this but see now what has happened to us. We shall wait till 2027 during the General Election then we shall pay back through voting," said John Mwangi.

Mwangi blamed the land owner for being merciless to residents who were recently affected by the gas explosion.

“Why has this person not come out since 2004 when we started living here to talk to us and even fence the land as he gives us time to move out?" He posed.

Edwin Machio, a father of eight who suffered burns on the hands in gas explosion said the demolition was akin to reopening an old wound.

“We are calling on the government to support us to start life again considering we are just healing from the gas explosion, which drained us of the little we had saved that we used on treatment after the fire,” said Machio.