Hundreds of residents homeless after their houses were demolished in Eldas

Hundreds of residents of Baqala location in Eldas constituency Wajir county are up in arms against the national government administration for the demolition of their houses on over the weekend.

During the peaceful demonstration in Baqala village, the residents accused the county commissioner Michael Talal for ordering the security administration to demolish their houses against a court order
The residents led by the area Member of the County Assembly (MCA) Abdishakur Aden condemned the county commissioner of ordering for the demolition of the houses.

"We are calling on intervention from the CS interior and co-odination of national government to urgently intervene and ensure that our residents are respected and left to live in peace in their rightful land," said Aden.

According to the court order issued by the Justice George Dulu High Court in Garissa on 13th of December, the national government was restrained from taking any evicting the residents of Baqala until a case they filed was heard and determined.

The court order was served to interior ministry on the 19th of December.

According to Maryan Ismail, a mother of three whose was demolished, the security officers number sixty visited their homes in the morning on Friday and brought down their housesn without even warning them.

Mrs Ismail said that tens of others in the village had their homes flattened all their properties vandalized by security officers.

"We are suffering, why did they destroy our houses, why are they doing all this brutality on as us when it is clear that Baqala location is in Eldas, why do they want to disinherit us," said Mr Ismail.

Abdi Hussein said that his herio house was destroyed, small metallic box broken which which had his vital documents were also destroyed.

"It was around 3am in the morning, they surrounded the settlement some officers firing bullets and ransacking the manyatta, they came here and destryed our property, even 20 litre water jerican my wife uses to fetching water from the nearby borehole too was not spared," said Hussein.

Hussein said the officers who were said to be speaking in the local dialect ordered mothers to leave the settlement.

"After the end of more five hours security operation in the settlement the villagers gathered in small groups of three and four each recounting their experience," said Hussein.

Tabarak Abdi, local resident said, "This is the 6th time security officers came ransacked properties and destroyed, we have decided that enough is enough, put aside their usual daily routine to address a pressing concern as they protest on the latest security actions."

A letter in possession of The Standard, written on 24th, October 1997 by the then permanent secretary for provincial administration to the electoral commission indicated that Baqala was in Eldas division.