Woodley/Kenyatta Golf Course Ward Member of County Assembly Davidson Ngibuni has outlined a chronology of events that led to the evictions of 43 tenants in Woodley Estate.
The group is being evicted to pave the way for the affordable housing project under the county government of Nairobi.
Ngibuni in a statement on Wednesday expressed sympathy with the affected residents even as he explained the process leading to the situation followed due processes of the law.
“I called the residents for a Public Baraza at the onset of this matter on a Sunday afternoon - many months ago. We deliberated and discussed what the residents wanted. The residents told me clearly that they do not want to move,” he narrated
Following the deliberations, Ngibuni says further talks with the county government of Nairobi led by Governor Johnson Sakaja ensued in a bid to iron out the stalemate.
During the meeting, held at the Governor’s parlour, the MCA says a detailed presentation of how the finished product would look, the design, the number of units being built, amenities, number of houses to be affected were unveiled.
The MCA notes that the residents maintained their hardline stance of rejecting the demolitions but Sakaja emphasized the need to demolish the houses to pave the way for more houses to accommodate the bulging population in the City.
“Subsequently, we formed a Technical Committee with representation from the Woodley Estate and Nairobi County to steer the bipartisan talks. I was part of this committee and attended these meetings in person to represent the interests of my constituents. We negotiated, but faced a deadlock in opinions,” Ngibuni said.
Both the Nairobi County Government and the 43 households affected in the demolitions failed to agree on the way forward.
Nairobi County's stand was to build new apartments while the Woodley Residents wanted to buy the housing units.
Owing to the standoff, the matter finally made its way to court.
Meanwhile, Nairobi County offered the Woodley Residents a relocation fee of Sh900,000 which was calculated as Sh25,000 per month as rent for 36 months, a period the construction of modern houses is expected to take.
At the same time, the Nairobi county offered each of the Woodley Residents a letter of allotment for a free three Bedroom Apartment upon completion of the development.
“21 out of the 43 affected residents accepted this offer. They received and banked their cheques and took home their letters of allotment for a free unit. 22 of the 43 affected residents declined this offer,” Ngibuni said.
On the other hand, a petition filed by Woodley Residents, through their association, was heard after which the court dealt them a blow.
The courts ruled in favour of Nairobi County, stating that the land belongs to Nairobi County, and that the Woodley Residents are tenants.
“The court also ruled that due process was followed. This court ruling thus allowed Nairobi County to proceed with the development,” Ngibuni said.
“An Eviction Notice / Vacate Order was issued. As has been misrepresented online, the demolition was not random. A notice period was given and elapsed.”
According to Ngibuni, while a section of residents voluntarily vacated the homes, others declined leading to forcefully eviction.
