This archive report was first published on 18 July 2019.
On July 18, 2019, a Nairobi court dealt a blow to Pangani residents who had been fighting against demolitions to make way for the Pangani Affordable Housing Project.
The court dismissed the case for lack of prosecution, ruling that the application dated February 7, 2019, was dismissed with costs to the defendants.
Despite the setback, the Nairobi Governor's Press Service maintained that the project would proceed as planned, stating that the county had acted within the law and that sufficient consultations had been done with the residents.
According to the statement, the 48 tenants who were evicted were given Ksh. 600,000 each as compensation and were guaranteed first priority once the first phase was complete in the next one year.
Lawyer Harrison Kinyanjui claimed that the county had termed the decision by some of the tenants to remain on the property as 'suspicious and triggered by third parties out to frustrate the noble project.'
However, the court had fixed the hearing for Thursday, July 18, 2019, at 7:30 am, but the lawyer representing the petitioner failed to appear to prosecute the case.
It is worth noting that some of the residents have been tenants on the property since the estate was put up in 1952.
On the same day, Governor Sonko ordered contractors to begin construction of 1,588 housing units, with occupants expected to pay a lease fee of Ksh. 3 million over a 30-year period, translating to a maximum of Ksh. 8,000 per month.
