Traders whose wares were destroyed at Mbaraki on Jamhuri Day on Wednesday protested outside the Mombasa law courts.
The traders had been helped by Absal and Sons Enterprises Limited, who leased the premises belonging to Kenya Railways Corporation at Mbaraki estate, to store their wares when they close shop at night.
However, these wares were destroyed when bulldozers suddenly descended on the property on Jamhuri Day, in a demolition exercise that the company’s managers blamed on KRC.
The managers at the company, including Abubakar Hassan, said they had leased the yard for 15 years and the lease was renewed for a further six years.
On June 5, KRC in a letter signed by Milly Omido on behalf of the managing director, told Abdisalam Hassan Ismael, the director of Absal, that his lease application had been approved subject to fulfilling certain conditions including payment of Sh345,000.
This was done.
This is subject of a court case invloving the company, KRC and the Mombasa county government, which had on October 2 served an eviction notice to the construction company.
However, on October 16, Justice Nelly Matheka of the Mombasa Environment and Land Court issued orders stopping any eviction or demolition at the yard pending hearing on October 30.
Hassan said the demolition damaged goods and property worth at least Sh300 million.
Capital Youth Caucus Association, a rights lobby group, on December 18 made an application to be enjoined in the case as an interested party.
A ruling was to be made on the application on Wednesday.
CYCA secretary general Evans Momanyi on Wednesday said the almost 20 hawkers who store their wares at the demolished premises now have nowhere to go after their wares worth hundreds of thousands were destroyed.
“Some had taken loans from Fuliza, Hustler Fund and other places. How will they repay these loans now?” he said.
Dickson Kai, a hawker, said he lost all his goods in the demolition and has not done anything since.
“I have a wife and children to take care of. I don’t know what to do,” he said.
Alice Nyawira, another hawker, said January is fast approaching and her destroyed goods means she has nothing to do to feed her children of get them school fees when schools reopen.
“If this government is truly for hustlers, why are the very hustlers being oppressed like this?” she said.
