Over the recent past, several people in Nairobi continued to county loses as the most feared bulldozer SANY brought down any structure marked as illegal. It continued to happen until the government issued a notice suspending all demolitions until further notice. However, SANY found itself at work on Tuesday morning. Several businessmen within Nakuru town are counting losses worth millions after their business premises were demolished by the county government early Tuesday morning.
The businessmen condemned the action taken by the county.
Wafanyibiashara wabomolewa vibanda vyao Nakuru.Wafanyibiashara walalamikia kutohusishwa kwa uamuzi huu ambao umeleta hasara kwao. Isitoshe, wanadai kuwa wamepoteza bidhaa nyingi ikiwemo fedha #SemaNaCitizen pic.twitter.com/wOoT821CeN
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) February 5, 2019
“The county had issued us with a notice to demolish our stalls by end of November last year which has since expired. We thought they had shelved the notice and we were to continue with our business as usual,” said Mary Wanyoike, a hawker whose stall was demolished.
The business people affected questioned the manner in which the demolitions were conducted.
Illegal structures demolished: A section of business owners in Nakuru County decry a move by the County Government to have their stalls demolished #DayBreak pic.twitter.com/0i7uwn1pxe
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) February 5, 2019
Peter Kamau, a businessman claimed that some premises were demolished while others were spared.
The businessmen are now a worried lot following the demolitions and are asking the county government to rethink the actions.
Back in June 2014, then Nakuru Governor, Kinuthia Mbugua, directed that illegal structures built on parking lots and road reserved areas be demolished.
The governor defended his directive by saying that he was not targeting traders but he is only trying to decongest the Central Business District area of Nakuru town.
Kinuthia’s statement came a day after violent demonstrations and street riots hit parts of Nakuru town following the demolition of structures around Afraha Stadium.