ODM Acting Party Leader Prof. Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o has strongly criticized the night demolitions at Woodley Estate in Nairobi, calling the act inhumane and reminiscent of colonial-era tactics. The demolitions, carried out on Monday night by the Nairobi County Government, displaced families in the dead of night, sparking outrage and leaving many without shelter.
Prof. Nyong’o, addressing the incident in a press release, expressed shock at the manner in which the evictions were conducted. While he acknowledged the need for high-density housing to accommodate more residents, he argued that the demolitions were poorly handled.
“The idea of constructing apartments to house more people is welcome. However, the demolitions, conducted in the middle of the night, were inhumane and shocking,” Nyong’o said.
He further criticized the Nairobi County Government for breaching Article 43(1)(b) of the Kenyan Constitution, which guarantees the right to accessible and adequate housing. The demolitions, he noted, also contravened the UN guidelines on Involuntary Resettlement.
Nyong’o proposed that a better approach would have been to construct high-density housing units elsewhere and facilitate the transfer of Woodley residents in a humane and organized manner.
“To go out at night and bring down houses is a colonial approach that should not happen in Kenya today,” he stated.
Nyong’o highlighted the historical significance of Woodley Estate, which has been home to notable figures such as freedom fighter Ramogi Achieng’ Oneko, Barack Obama Sr. (father to former U.S. President Barack Obama), Argwings Kodhek, Odinge Odera (speechwriter to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga), and other prominent professionals and politicians like Sammy Lui and Mulu Mutisya.
The ODM leader appealed to the Nairobi County Government to exercise compassion and humanity in its service delivery, urging it to avoid what he termed “Pharisaic execution of the law.”
“The ODM party condemns the demolitions and calls on the Nairobi County Government to uphold humanity in its operations,” Nyong’o concluded.
