Interior CS Kithure Kindiki has directed the police to allow Kenyans living in buildings on riparian land, marked for demolition to retrieve their belongings.
In a statement on Monday, Kindiki said all security personnel are under strict instructions not to use violence when enforcing the vacation directives.
He added that so far, the relocation exercise has been going smoothly.
"Members of the public must be allowed to vacate structures or premises which are the subject for removal and to retrieve their belongings," The CS said.
Kindiki went on to say that the vacation and mandatory evacuation orders issued on May 2, 2024, were purely in the national interest.
He added that it was also on consideration of public security and safety.
He insisted that the prohibition of residence and activities within the Nairobi Rivers riparian reserves and the removal of unlawful structures remains an irreversible national security project.
"The Government will pursue to the end the national interest of the reclamation, rehabilitation and regeneration of the Nairobi Rivers riparian reserves without any regard whatsoever for partisan, ethnic or other parochial interests," Kindiki said.
The Interior CS said protecting riparian spaces will create resilience for the City of Nairobi to withstand the shocks of climate change and mitigate the loss of lives, property and livelihoods in the likely event of future torrential rains and consequential flooding.
So far, over 40,000 households have voluntarily relocated from the Nairobi Rivers corridors. These households comprise 181,000 people.
Last week, Kindiki said the government will now establish recreational facilities on reclaimed riparian land along the Nairobi Rivers corridor.
He said the rehabilitation and regeneration works on the reclaimed spaces are currently ongoing. The works include fencing and planting of trees.
"The Nairobi Rivers will be unclogged, drained, and rehabilitated, with recreation facilities being established on both sides of the riparian reserves for access and use by members of the public for free," Kindiki said.
