More airport homes knocked down

Bulldozers pull down a building at Syokimau Estate, Nairobi on November 13, 2011. Photo/ANTHONY OMUYA

Hundreds of families spent their second day in the cold following the ongoing demolition of houses built on land belonging to Kenya Airports Authority in Syokimau, Nairobi.

Children and their parents were still stranded in their once posh homes on Sunday, as some made frantic efforts to transport salvaged property.

In some homes, the owners who could not bear the pain of watching their houses worth millions being brought down by the bulldozers decided to leave.

“They would have rather taken my life than the house in which I have invested millions of shillings,” George Mureu said amid sobs.

His well-furnished, six-bedroom house was among those that were brought down on Sunday afternoon. The house was said to have cost him Sh15 million.

A few metres from Mr Mureu’s home, homeless children who were forced to sleep in a wooden cupboard pondered their next move after a bulldozer brought down their house along Kaimosi Road.

By evening, a large area which previously had posh houses was a mass of debris.

Kathiani MP Wavinya Ndeti, who visited the affected families, was moved to tears when she came face-to-face with the affected families.

“This is impunity of the highest level and whoever is doing this should be accountable in future,” she said.

She said they were headed to court on Monday to seek justice claiming that Syokimau was not in Nairobi. She also threatened to pull out of the government.

According to the Sunday Nation, the demolition agreement was reached by the Cabinet after it was established that the settlers had encroached on land belonging Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

Nairobi PC Njoroge Ndirangu and security chiefs in the city are said to have been informed to oversee the demolition.