Mukuru Residents Camp Outside Police Station Day After Launch of Affordable Houses

A section of Mukuru Kwa Njenga residents have camped outside the Villa Police Station to protest against planned evictions in the area.

In a statement dated Wednesday, May 21, the Mukuru Community Justice Centre noted that the residents had received reports of planned evictions after the launch of the affordable houses by President William Ruto.

The community-based organisation alleged that the launch of the affordable houses was being used as a diversion tactic for the evictions.

"Mukuru kwa Njenga residents have already occupied Villa Police Station over attempts at forced evictions by security agencies," read the statement in part.

"The diversion tactics that Mukuru Kwa Njenga residents benefited from the affordable housing project are misleading. This is a tactic to evict Mukuru Kwa Njenga community members. We resist any planned forced evictions by the state."

Earlier, the community-based group lamented that those who were given the new homes in the affordable housing project were not residents of the area.

The group also stated that no official enumeration was undertaken to establish those who lived in the slums prior to the allocation of the houses.

“We categorically state that the actual residents of Mukuru Kwa Njenga are not the beneficiaries of these housing units. The so-called beneficiaries remain unknown to the local community and are widely believed to be outsiders falsely posing as Mukuru kwa Njenga residents,” the community group stated.

"The lack of transparency in the housing allocation process is deeply troubling," the organisation added, "and raises serious concerns about corruption and misrepresentation in President Ruto's affordable housing programme."

Ruto launched the Mukuru affordable housing project on Tuesday and handed over 1,080 house keys to new homeowners.

Upon completion, the project will have 13,248 units.