Portland demolitions: Security beefed up on day four of exercise

Security has been beefed up on East African Portland Cement Company land as ongoing evictions entered day four on Monday.

The eviction exercise has been scaled up after more bulldozers were brought in during the operations on Sunday.

The demolitions which began on Friday have seen hundreds of residents of the newly created county village in Athi River, Machakos, rendered homeless with several schools and churches pulled down.

Some of the victims and their families have sought refuge in their friends and relatives while others sought rental houses in Athi River, Mlolongo and Kitengela towns.

Several children whose homes and schools have been brought down remain helpless with no institution of learning to attend classes.

A contingent of police officers are on patrols with branded police vehicles on sight.

As demolitions continue, victims salvage their property while some youths scavenge demolished structures for metals and iron sheets which are already selling in Athi River, Mlolongo and Kitengela towns.

The situation is calm as opposed to Friday and Saturday when a section of Ukambani politicians attempted to access the land in vain. They were repulsed by the heavily armed officers.

Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti was also on Sunday denied access to a church within the land where she was meant to donate foodstuff to needy victims.

Her deputy Francis Mwangangi later led some county legislators in donating the food, not in the church though, but in the open.

They donated fresh water, foodstuff, bedding and soaps.

The majority of the victims interviewed by the Star claimed they bought the parcels on which their houses had been demolished from either Aima Ma Lukenya Society officials or their agents.

Some bought theirs from those who had equally purchased their parcels from the same society members.

The officers have been giving the victims time to remove their property from the structures before they are pulled down.