Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has strongly condemned the planned demolitions in Mukuru kwa Njenga informal settlement, terming the evictions illegal and procedurally flawed amid a dispute over land earmarked for the construction of the Catherine Ndereba Road.
A heavy security presence descended on the settlement early Tuesday morning, sparking protests from residents who opposed the planned evictions. Police officers later used teargas to disperse crowds that had gathered in resistance, heightening tensions in the densely populated area.
Addressing the media after the confrontation, Governor Sakaja said the road construction process had not been sanctioned by the Nairobi County Government and therefore could not proceed in its current form. He insisted that no infrastructure project falling under county jurisdiction can be implemented without approval from the relevant planning authorities.
“How do you have feeder roads being marked and they have not been passed by our planning committee and the County Executive Committee (CEC)? No agency can purport to do work that belongs to the county without sign-off from the county government,” Sakaja said. “The decision has been made in another place.”
The governor further emphasised that any agreement on road access must be accompanied by a clear and transparent compensation framework for affected residents. He criticised the manner in which the operation was carried out, saying it amounted to an ambush on civilians rather than a lawful development process.
“It is easy to sit with the people. Like all the roads we have done here, they have been done by speaking to the people, not by using force,” he said. “All these officers here would make you think there is a terrorist activity here. These are innocent people. They are not animals that you come upon at night.”
Sakaja called for dialogue and public participation, noting that meaningful engagement with residents is a legal and moral requirement before any evictions can take place. He said the county government would “midwife a process with the people” to ensure that development does not come at the expense of human dignity.
The governor also disclosed that plans to compensate affected families are underway, with officials currently compiling a list of households impacted and assessing the extent of damage caused during the attempted demolitions.
The proposed 30-metre-wide Catherine Ndereba Road, named after Kenya’s celebrated world marathon champion, is intended to link Mukuru kwa Njenga to the industrial area, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), and the Nairobi Expressway. However, Sakaja maintained that the project must comply fully with planning laws, compensation requirements, and public consultation processes before moving forward.
