Exactly one year after structures were demolished in Mukuru Kwa Njenga slums some of the displaced families still live in old tents in the contested land.
A visit by Ghetto Radio revealed the pain and suffering of the residents whose houses were demolished.
According to Jackline Mwende one of the victims, living in tents has been torturous following the struggling Mukuru Kwa Njenga demographics.
The mother of three says that living in the area comes with indignity since there is no single toilet and residents have to resorted open defecation, risking health of community.
“Life is unbearable in tents, but we have to face it, there is no dignity, we have no toilet or bathroom, plenty of faeces because of open defecation. For us privacy is not right but a privilege,” Mwende said.
Mwende narrates that the adverse weather and now deluge downpour is a double tragedy to their woos since the preparation of meals is an uphill tasks. She rely on firewood to prepare meals .
“When it’s wet like right now we have no choice sometime children go to school without food, or if I have money I buy from the vibandas around, but it is not satisfying like I would cook for them,” she adds.
The mother of three, offers laundry services also known as ‘mama fua’ but also doubles up with scavenging the dumpsite in search for recyclable plastic and metals what they losely translate as ‘kuchemba’
“I don’t have a job, I only offer laundry services by knocking door to door, but when I can’t get a client I go to the dumpsite pick plastic and metals, we resale at least to get some money,” she stated.
Jeremiah Mwangi 74 years alias, says that the government has since turned a blind eye and their plights have not been addressed by the national government and the defunct Nairobi Metropolitan Services that was operating under its Director General Mohammed Badi.
“No promise has been fulfilled, the government promised to resettle us, but for now they have gone silent. What happened to us is now a foregone case only God will help us,” said Jeremiah
The same sentiments are held by my Mildred a displaced mother of twins who said that the move by the government to flatten their houses was inhumane, especially during dark cover of Covid-19 pandemic when majority of Kenyans had lost their jobs.
“It was an injustice by the government, it was inhumane for a government to render its people homeless amid Covid-19 pandemic, we sought audience with government but the no one has listened to us,” Mildred lamented.
The residents now call the new administration under President William Ruto to consider their plights and allow them put up at least corrugated iron shanties over their heads or resettle them in habitable areas.
By Rodgers Oduor
