Democracy for Citizens (DCP) Party leader Rigathi Gachagua has sharply criticized the ongoing Nairobi River regeneration project, accusing the government of “selective justice” in its demolition of structures along the riparian land.
Speaking during an interview on Kameme TV on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, the former deputy president argued that while the homes of the poor are being flattened, luxury hotels and high-end residences in affluent neighborhoods remain untouched.
“If you look at the Nairobi River, only those who do not have are the targets. If this demolition exercise is of honesty and truthfulness, why didn’t they start from Lavington, then Kileleshwa, because there are homes and hotels built almost on the river by the mighty ones?” Gachagua posed.
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Gachagua has called for the government to be “sincere” by starting its enforcement in Lavington, arguing that the law should apply to the rich just as strictly as it does to the poor. He contends that targeting only low-income areas undermines the entire environmental goal of the project.
“But it is only those who are poor are being targeted. If this government of President William Ruto is sincere, let it begin from Lavington,” Gachagua stated.
To support his point, he pointed to the legacy of the late John Michuki, who famously led the first major cleanup of the Nairobi River in 2008.
“The late Michuki, who came from Kangema, made Michuki Park, cleaned the river, and made a garden where people go to rest up-to-date,” Gachagua said.
This local unrest follows a major protest at Gikomba Market on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. Traders clashed with government officials after being issued relocation notices tied to the Nairobi River Restoration Project.
The standoff began when a multi-agency team arrived to survey a proposed “decanting” site – a temporary relocation area meant to house vendors while the riverbank is cleared and modern stalls are built. However, long-term vendors pushed back, claiming that the government has kept them in the dark throughout the process and shut them out of any meaningful planning discussions.
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