Tenants raise questions on development of Ngara estate

The  redevelopment of Jeevanjee/Bachelors’ Quarters in Ngara, Nairobi, hangs in the balance following complaints by tenants that they were not consulted.

Led by Mr John Karanja, the chairman of their welfare association, the residents  are questioning  the manner in which the redevelopment plan was carried out by the previous regime, which awarded a tender to Jabavu Village Ltd without involving them.

“There has been no participation as stipulated in Article 10(2) (a) of the Constitution,” Mr Karanja said, adding that only an incomplete consultation was done by City Hall.

TWO MOUs

Another sticky issue is the  existence of two memoranda of understanding, supposedly   between the county government and the tenants.  One is dated March and and other June, 2016.

Mr Karanja rejected  the MoUs,  asking why they do not have specific dates like other formal communication.

“The county could be having another MoU that it is  hiding from the tenants which it will use to catch them by surprise, and which was not part of the consultation the subject letter is talking about. A dateless MoU, therefore, makes that consultation incomplete,” he said.

COMMITTEES

In a letter written by former Nairobi County Secretary Dr Robert Ayisi, dated December 15, 2016, the tenants are informed that the county intends to improve their houses as part of the county’s plan to provide affordable and modern housing. 

Mr Ayisi said that the county government had held 46 consultative meetings with the tenants and other stakeholders since  February that year, and that the minutes had been shared with the tenants’ different committees.

Jeevanjee is one of the eight estates lined up for redevelopment by Nairobi County.