This archive report was first published on 8 May 2020.
On Wednesday, a landlord in Umoja 3 estate took drastic measures to recover rent arrears, removing the roof from a house where five siblings, including two teens, have been living.
The siblings, who lost their mother last year, have been struggling to pay rent since their father was stranded in upcountry in March due to the cessation of movement in and out of Nairobi.
According to Nairobi News, the father had been unable to raise the three-month rent arrears, leading the landlord to take the extreme step of removing the roof.
One of the siblings, a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education exam candidate, explained their situation: 'We live with our dad, my mom passed away last year. As we speak, my dad is stranded in upcountry because of the Nairobi lockdown. The landlord came and ordered us to move out by Saturday but we had nowhere else to go. Today, he came and removed the roof. We tried to talk to him but he refused to listen to us.'
A neighbor, who has been helping the siblings, reported the matter to the police and is expecting the landlord to be charged soon.
'The landlord removed the roof because of rent arrears dating back to February. We reported the matter to the police and they said they would come and arrest the landlord if he failed to put the roof back. Right now things are thick and this is a very unfortunate incident. I would just like to appeal to well-wishers to help these kids,' she said.
President Uhuru Kenyatta had ordered a further 21 days of cessation of movement into and out of Nairobi, Mombasa, Kwale, and Kilifi counties on April 25 to curb the spread of Covid-19.
