This archive report was first published on 16 July 2019.
Nairobi County Evicts Pangani Estate Residents for Affordable Housing Project ¶
On July 16, 2019, Nairobi County government conducted a forceful eviction of the remaining residents of the Pangani Estate, marking a significant step in the implementation of the county's affordable housing project.
The project, which falls under President Uhuru's Big 4 agenda, aims to provide affordable housing to low-income residents. However, the eviction process has been marred by controversy, with tenants claiming that they were not given sufficient notice to vacate the premises.
According to sources, the tenants were only served with a verbal notice on July 3, 2019, with a deadline to vacate the premises by July 31, 2019. However, some tenants claimed that they were not given enough time to relocate, with some saying that they were left with no choice but to move their household items to places they had to seek refuge through the night.
The eviction process was carried out by county officers, who arrived at midnight with a bulldozer and started demolishing the houses before ordering the tenants to vacate immediately. The tenants were left to spend the night outside, with some claiming that they were forced out of their homes by a lorry full of goons and fleet of county vehicles.
The forceful eviction and demolition are being done to pave way for the construction of 14-storey buildings as part of the county's affordable housing project. According to sources, 24 of the 48 tenants had already received their Sh600,000 cheques to seek alternative homes by the end of May 2019.
The project, which is valued at Sh4 billion, is expected to provide affordable housing to low-income residents in Nairobi. However, the eviction process has raised concerns about the treatment of tenants and the impact of the project on the community.
According to Nairobi County officials, the demolitions and forceful evictions were arrived at because some tenants were allegedly not cooperating and would further delay the project. However, the tenants have denied these allegations, claiming that they were not given sufficient notice to vacate the premises.
The project is part of a larger effort to provide affordable housing to low-income residents in Nairobi. The county has marked seven estates for demolition to pave way for the housing project, including Old and New Ngara, Jeevanjee, Suna Road, Ngong Road Phase One and Two, and Uhuru Estate.
