By Reporter
Residents and traders displaced by Kenya Railways projects in Laini Saba, Kibra Constituency, want the Senate to intervene over stalled resettlement programmes, incomplete housing units and inadequate trading facilities.
The residents appeared before the Senate Standing Committee on Roads, Transportation and Housing and said hundreds of affected families and traders were yet to receive the houses and business premises promised under the Resettlement Action Plan (RAP).
Figures presented to the Committee painted a stark picture of the resettlement challenges.
Of the 1,432 residential occupants enumerated in the Laini Saba zone, only 256 had received houses, while 583 of the 833 enumerated business occupants had received stalls.
The petitioners, led by Victor Wamae and Woodley/Kenyatta Golf Course MCA Davidson DNG Ngibuini, told the Committee that some beneficiaries who had received housing units were living in deplorable conditions due to a lack of basic amenities, including water, sewerage, lighting, fencing and functional sanitation facilities.
“They can’t use the toilets because there is no sewer connection. There is no water and so they cannot use the toilets,” said Mr Ngibuini.
The petitioners said the remaining beneficiaries continued to face uncertainty, with some living in temporary or decanting sites and others operating businesses in unsafe and unsuitable locations.
Mr Wamae said some of the houses already handed over to beneficiaries were incomplete, particularly due to the absence of water connections.
*“What happened in the past was that Resettlement Action Plan, as you can see in the document, and Chair, the Kenya Railways houses were built, and the Kenya Railways houses were handed over to the affected persons.
But there’s a serious issue where, if you look at those houses as they are today, the houses are incomplete,” he said.
The petitioners raised concern over the stalled Phase Two construction at Jamhuri, behind the Nairobi City County Inspectorate Trading Centre, saying the project had reportedly run out of funding.
They said traders who had won ballots for houses had not received their units, forcing some to remain at a decanting site in Magade.
Marsabit Senator Mohamed Chute, who chaired the session, pressed the petitioners to provide accurate figures on the number of people affected by the resettlement programme.
Senator Chute warned the petitioners against presenting contradictory figures, saying accurate information was necessary for the Committee to establish the extent of the problem and determine appropriate interventions.
Nominated Senator Peris Tobiko, meanwhile, expressed concern over the safety of affected families, particularly amid forecasts of heavy rainfall.
“Where are you living right now? Considering, of course, the predictions of the meteorological people that there’s going to be rain and a lot of rain. Where are you living? Are you in safe places?” she asked.
Senator Tobiko said the safety of affected families should be prioritised as the Committee considers interventions to address the housing crisis.
She also sought clarification on whether beneficiaries were paying for the houses or whether the units were being provided as part of the resettlement programme.
Nominated Senator Hamida Kibwana sought clarification on the legal basis upon which residents and traders had occupied the railway land.
“The bottom line is the Kenya Railways wanted to get back their land, full stop,” she said, while emphasising the need to distinguish between the legal and humanitarian dimensions of the dispute.
Senator Kibwana asked the petitioners to provide documentation relating to their occupation, including allotment letters, titles and evidence of rent payments.
She also requested a list of ballot holders to enable the Committee to establish those who had been allocated houses and those who had been left out.
She questioned whether traders had been paying rent to the City Council or another authority and called for documentary evidence to establish the status of the affected occupants.
The petitioners asked the Committee to facilitate the release of RAP documents, including enumeration records and details of financial allocations.
They also called for investigations into alleged procurement and contractor irregularities, completion and upgrading of market stalls, compensation for livelihood disruptions and clarification of the legal status of the affected land.
According to the petitioners, some of the stalls constructed under the resettlement programme were too small and poorly located, forcing traders to operate near railway tracks and roads.
They proposed that portions of the railway reserve be considered for organised trading activities during railway rehabilitation, subject to proper planning and legal safeguards.
The residents further raised concerns over flooding, inadequate drainage and the absence of ramps for persons with disabilities.
They also expressed concern over plans to remove a police post serving Woodley and Isabel wards, saying the facility was important to the security of the local community.
The Committee directed the petitioners to submit a comprehensive list of beneficiaries who had received or missed out on houses and stalls.
The petitioners were also directed to provide copies of lease agreements and other relevant records to enable the Committee to compare their information with Kenya Railways’ records.
The comparison is expected to help establish the actual number of beneficiaries, identify those who have been left out and determine any discrepancies in the implementation of the Resettlement Action Plan.
