Residents of Woodley Estate in Nairobi were left in the cold and in distress after 43 homes were demolished Tuesdya morning.
They included the home of veteran broadcaster Sammy Lui.
It is not clear whether he accepted compensation or not. Lui, a long-time resident, has lived in the estate for 53 years and was distressed and disheartened.
“I am among the 43 families expected to vacate, yet I have never been part of any public participation the county claims to have conducted. They approved the demolition of old houses marked as Lot One and Lot Two without consulting us,” he said.
“We have nothing against the project, but we should be engaged.”
The residents, through their association, failed to prevent the demolition after they lost their case in court.
They had argued they were not involved in the decision-making before the demolition was carried out.
The Nairobi county government plans to build modern housing in Woodley.
The estate, along Joseph Kangethe Road, has been at the centre of controversy over ownership of the houses.
Bulldozers smashed through fences and flattened homes following expiry of the vacate deadline at midnight on November 19.
Some tenants had already vacated after receiving compensation of Sh900,000 from the Nairobi county government.
Others were forcefully evicted. Scrap metal dealers were scavenging for metals and other valuable materials from the demolition sites.
Before the destruction, Woodley Residents Welfare Society tried to chart a way forward after the group lost a petition seeking to block the eviction of certain tenants.
The eviction is part of the county government’s urban renewal housing project in partnership with Africa Reit Ltd.
The estate was built by British colonial mayor Sir Richard Woodley in 1940s and 50s.
] Aggrieved residents said the county government failed to involve them in the public participation process as required by law. WRWS secretary Peter Ngatia said they invited Governor Johnson Sakaja to hear their concerns.
The entire estate comprises 300 housing units, including flats and two- and three-bedroom stand-alone bungalows.
It is one of the
many decades-old estates the
county plans to demolish in order
to build new high-rise apartments
to accommodate the city’s growing
population
