Reprieve for Maziwa traders

By MARTIN MUTUA

Traders at Maziwa chicken market along Jogoo road in Nairobi have every reason to smile after Lands Minister James Orengo cancelled a title deed issued to a private developer.

However, Orengo said the traders must first convince him before he can issue them with title deeds.

The minister hit out at the police and city council askaris for carrying out forcible evictions in light of the new Constitution.

He said it was disturbing to watch police tear gas the traders and the area MP Simon Mbugua and his Makadara counterpart Gidion Mbuvi.The minister said he was working together with Internal Security Minister Prof George Saitoti on a Bill that will give guidelines on peaceful evictions.

Orengo was responding to questions by the Kamukunji MP Simon Mbugua who had sought to know why the traders had been evicted.

Mbugua also inquired whether the minister knew that President Jomo Kenyatta allocated the traders the land and they have been paying rates to the City Council of Nairibi.

Mbugua sought to know what action Orengo was going to take to revert the land to the traders.

Orengo said he had revoked the title issued to the private developer after he failed to utilise the plot within the time specified.