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In October 2021, enforcement officers from the Nairobi County government joined a group of unknown people resulting in the violent eviction and demolition of 2,662 structures in the Mukuru informal settlement in Nairobi. As a result, more than 42,000 individuals from an estimated 13,276 households in Mukuru kwa Njenga were left homeless.
This cruel act was the latest in a series of land grabs in the sprawling informal settlement. The latest evictions were preceded by a smaller wave of demolitions in September, ostensibly to make way for the construction of the Catherine Ndereba Road, In reality, homes and institutions along a 30-metre wide corridor were demolished across all three settlements in Mukuru. The villages affected by this first wave were Sisal, Milimani, Vietnam, and Zone 48 in Mukuru kwa Njenga; Wesinya and Diamond in Mukuru kwa Reuben; and Sinai A in Viwandani.
Though these evictions caused widespread resentment from residents due to the large number of people displaced, there was little resistance to the evictions. The second wave of evictions in October centered on Mukuru kwa Njenga settlement. In these evictions police violently displaced residents and oversaw the demolition of numerous structures with equipment from Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS). Homes, businesses and social amenities across an area of approximately 70 acres, ranging from 136 to 253 metres in width, were demolished. These demolitions occurred in the villages of Sisal, Milimani,Vietnam and Zone 48 on land previously owned by Orbit Chemicals Ltd. The land had been subdivided into 1337 plots by the company and the current ownership of these plots is largely unknown. Additional structures in an area not owned by Orbit Chemicals were also demolished.
The greatest number of structures demolished in the two eviction waves were in the Mukuru Kwa Njenga settlement. In addition to the homes affected, in both waves, key institutions were also demolished, these included 14 schools that served more than 1,666 pupils and 17 health facilities.
After the evictions AMT shared information with NMS that showed the demolitions in Mukuru kwa Njenga far exceeded the thirty metres required for the construction of the Catherine Ndereba Road. In response, NMS assured the residents that the police would withdraw from the site and that the government would resettle everyone displaced by the land grab. To enable resettlement, NMS agreed to identify all the people and institutions affected by the involuntary evictions in Mukuru Kwa Njenga through an open and transparent community led process.
In addition to the homes affected, in both waves, key institutions were also demolished, these included 14 schools that served more than 1,666 pupils and 17 health facilities.
The evictions had far-reaching negative impacts on displaced people’s lives. Thousands of homes, businesses and amenities were lost. Except for a small number of households that camped on the affected land, the large majority dispersed to other locations to seek alternative housing. The police kept watch over the land to ensure that no one returned to rebuild. They, along with the administration, harassed the remaining households to compel them to vacate the land.
According to AMT research, the series of demolitions and evictions has resulted in the displacement of more than half of the original population of the affected settlements.