Written by Monica Makali
Members of the Machakos County Assembly have unanimously passed a motion seeking for the compensation of all affected individuals of the East African Portland Cement land demolitions in Athi-River, Mavoko, Machakos County.
The motion which was tabled on the floor of the house Tuesday Morning by Mlolongo/Syokimau ward MCA Daniel Ndwiki, put to a halt all other proceedings of the house, in matter that was termed as urgent.
In the motion, Ndwiki avers that occupants of the land were not served with a notice to vacate; with their property damaged.
In his five prayers, Ndwiki wants Machakos County government enjoined as an interested party in the appeal case against the legal suit 74 of 2014 that was ruled at Machakos ELC Court on Friday 13th October 2023.
He also wants all administrative land issues in Mavoko to be done in Machakos Land Registry and boundary between Machakos County and Nairobi to be defined well to avoid administrative land clashes.
According to Muthwani Ward MCA Dominic Maithya, families have borne the brunt of the damage, with some being admitted to hospitals while others succumbing due to the rude shock they were met with.
The MCA who played some clips of the president and his deputy on their earlier stand to protect Kenyans from forceful evictions, said the Kamba Community has been selectively targeted questioning why Nakuru demolitions were stopped while Athi-river demolitions were allowed to go on.
They are also demanding that Machakos County governor Wavinya Ndeti be accorded respect as she’s the representative of the people in the county.
Other members who debated on the matter suggested other mechanisms to amplify their frustration and their solidarity with affected members by staging demos on the streets.
They also questioned why Portland has placed an advert to sell part of its land while the evictions are still going on
