On Tuesday, Nairobi’s Eastlands residents were in sorrow, pain and frustrations as they woke up into bulldozers bringing down their homes.
This followed a court order that had allowed Kenya Power and Lightening Company (KPLC) to go ahead and demolish houses that were standing on their space.
It is festive season, Christmas just around the corner and Komarock and Kayole residents knew nowhere to go. The fearfull Nairobi bulldozers landed on their homes, leaving them with nothing to spare.
Finding a place to go was hard, leaving many in cries. Residents who tried to secure some of their property were termed as protesters and thus, teargas was brought into full use!
This rose eyebrows from several leaders, with Nairobi County Women representative Esther Muthoni Passaris personally moving to the scene where she strongly condemned the act.
Passaris, who emotionally reacted argued that even though there was a court order, people should have been allowed enough time to find themselves an alternative.
She argued that Eastlands area houses are normally occupied by low class people, citing that there was no reason for them to be intimidated.
She gave an example of a handshake between opposition chief Raila Odinga and President Uhuru Kenyatta, which she noted that the same should apply between the rich and the poor.
Passaris noted her efforts in getting the court order halted, which bore no fruits. She said she had been moved around from one police headquarter to another without getting any help. She strongly condemned the use of teargas against the victims of the demolitions.
Here is her emotional video.
— Hon. Esther M Passaris (@EstherPassaris) December 18, 2018