The demolition of old houses in Nairobi’s Makongeni Estate to make way for the government’s affordable housing project was completed Wednesday evening.
Despite an active court order temporarily halting the exercise, workers flattened all single-room houses, while excavators tore down sections of the remaining flats. Most former tenants had already vacated, a process the Affordable Housing Board praised as a successful relocation effort, noting that each household received KSh150,000 in compensation.
However, some residents disputed these claims, insisting the process was rushed, lacked transparency, and left several households unpaid.
On Monday, the Environment and Land Court had issued an order halting the demolition, citing unlawful evictions. The directive followed a petition by the Makongeni Residents Association and five others, who argued that authorities violated residents’ rights and failed to ensure adequate public participation.
Makadara MP George Aladwa defended the project, stating that genuine tenants had been compensated and issued cards guaranteeing allocation of bedsitters in the new Makongeni Estate, set for completion within a year.
“In 2024, Kenya Railways confirmed that pensioners sold the scheme to the government for upgrading. We held meetings, agreed as beneficiaries, and compensation was done,” said MP Aladwa.
He added that many current occupants were not original tenants, yet they still received payment rather than facing forced eviction.
“The cards were issued last Friday and the money was sent to their phones. It is meant to help them start afresh. The government says the project will be done in two years,” he told Nation by phone.
Aladwa also dismissed opposition to the project, accusing unnamed influential individuals of sponsoring youth to disrupt the redevelopment along Jogoo Road.
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