Kibra residents call on Senate for stalled Kenya railways resettlement

Residents and traders displaced by Kenya Railways projects in Laini Saba, Kibra, have appealed to the Senate to intervene over stalled resettlement programmes, incomplete houses and inadequate trading facilities.

Appearing before the Senate Standing Committee on Roads, Transportation and Housing on Thursday, the petitioners said hundreds of families and traders were still waiting for houses and business premises promised under the Resettlement Action Plan (RAP).

The petitioners, led by Victor Wamae and Woodley/Kenyatta Golf Course MCA Davidson DNG Ngibuini, told the committee that even some beneficiaries who had received houses were living in deplorable conditions because of missing basic services.

“You know to use the washroom. They can’t use the toilets because there is no sewer connection. There is no water, and that’s why some people have now even invaded those toilets and they are using the toilets as houses, as unbelievable as it sounds,” Ngibuini said.

Mps learnerd that of 1,432 residential occupants enumerated in Laini Saba, only 256 had received houses. Of 833 business occupants identified, 583 had received stalls.

The remaining beneficiaries, the petitioners said, continue to live in temporary or decanting sites, while others have been forced to conduct business in unsafe and unsuitable locations.

Incomplete Houses, Stalled Projects

Wamae said some houses handed over under the resettlement programme remained incomplete, particularly because they lacked water connections.

“What happened in the past is that Resettlement Action Plan, as you can see in the document, and Chair, the Kenya Railways houses were built, and the Kenya Railways houses were handed over to the affected persons. But there’s a serious issue where, if you look at those houses as they are today, the houses are incomplete,” he said.

The petitioners also raised concerns over stalled Phase Two construction at Jamhuri, behind the Nairobi City County Inspectorate Trading Centre. They said the project had reportedly run out of funding, leaving traders who had won ballots for houses at the Magade decanting site.

They further complained that some newly constructed stalls were too small and poorly located, forcing traders to operate close to railway tracks and roads.

Marsabit Senator Mohamed Chute, who chaired the sitting, challenged the petitioners to provide accurate and consistent figures on those affected.

He warned that contradictory information could make it difficult for the committee to establish the scale of the problem and determine appropriate interventions.

Nominated Senator Peris Tobiko raised concerns about the immediate safety of displaced families, particularly with forecasts of heavy rainfall.

“Where are you living right now? Considering, of course, the predictions of the meteorological people that there’s going to be rain and a lot of rain. Where are you living? Are you in safe places?” she asked.

Tobiko also sought clarification on whether beneficiaries were required to pay for the houses or whether the units were being provided as part of the resettlement programme.

Nominated Senator Hamida Kibwana questioned the legal basis of the residents’ occupation of railway land and called for documentation to establish individual claims.

“The bottom line is the Kenya Railways wanted to get back their land, full stop,” Kibwana said.

She asked petitioners to provide allotment letters, titles, lease agreements and evidence of rent payments.

“But then when you get to the nitty gritty of the documentation and don’t have any documentation, now, whom are you paying rent to? Because Nairobi, there are no free things, you know,” she said.

The residents want the Senate to facilitate access to RAP documents, including enumeration records and details of financial allocations.

They have also called for investigations into alleged procurement and contractor irregularities, completion and upgrading of stalls, compensation for livelihood disruptions and clarification of the legal status of the affected land.

Other concerns include flooding, inadequate drainage and lack of ramps for persons with disabilities.

The residents also opposed plans to remove a police post serving Woodley and Isabel wards, saying the facility remains important to community security.

The committee directed the petitioners to submit a comprehensive list of beneficiaries who had received or missed houses and stalls. They were also instructed to provide copies of lease agreements and other relevant records.