Rebuild demolished houses at own risk, tycoon tells Kayole dwellers

Residents of Nyama Village in Nairobi's Kayole carry their properties after their houses were demolished last week. [Beverly Musili, Standard]

The row over a 20 hectares land in Nairobi's Kayole pitting an investor and home owners that saw several houses demolished recently has refused to go away.

Wilson Kariuki, the managing director of Wiskam Auctioneers which was spearheading the demolition, said they were keenly watching the vacated plots.

Yesterday, he warned home owners against taking advantage of the recent move by Government to stop the demolitions.

Mr Kariuki said the demolitions followed an eviction order that was issued on  September 17, 2018 by the Environment and Land Court.

Memo issued

The demolitions were, however, halted after the Government suspended demolition of buildings across the country in a memo issued by Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua.

“The public is notified that the Government has forthwith directed the immediate suspension of all demolition of properties in all parts of the country until further notice,” the memo read.

Mr Kinyua said further guidance will be issued following consultations with relevant state agencies.

The suspension came after the demolition of buildings in Kayole was met with outcry from over 500 families who were left homeless after their houses were flattened by bulldozers.

Mr Kariuki yesterday said the eviction order given by the High Court still stands, adding they have been shocked to learn those people whose houses were demolished have started to reconstruct them, a terming it a blatant contempt of the court order.

“The court order is still in force and was only suspended temporarily by the Government pending consultations which are due to start this week,” said Mr Kariuki.

The auctioneer warned home owners to stop any reconstruction of houses that had been demolished, saying they will be doing so at their own risk.

“Those reconstructing their houses should stop forthwith since the land is private land whose title has never been contested by anyone,” he said.

The prime piece of land located in Nyama Villa estate in Kayole has been at the centre of protracted dispute pitting the investor and home owners who have put up buildings on the land with each party claiming ownership.

Mike Kamau Maina, the proprietor of Marble Arch Hotel in Nairobi, is reported to be reclaiming the land where demolitions happened a week before Christmas last year.

The tycoon obtained a court order a few years ago, but the Government is said to have at the time advised him to reach an amicable settlement with the buyers as the property on the land measuring 20 hectares is now worth billions of shillings.

It is not clear whether the dialogue process was still ongoing by the time demolitions commenced.

Investors who had put up buildings on the land incurred huge losses after the tycoon moved in with excavators to bring them down amid tight security.