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Human rights activists condemn Kibera demolitions

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UN human rights experts have condemned the ongoing eviction of residents of the Kibera informal settlement in Nairobi.

In a statement, the experts called on Kenyan authorities to halt all mass evictions until adequate legal and procedural safeguards are in place.

The Kenyan government, through the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) began demolishing several shanties in the informal settlement to pave way for the construction of a link road aimed at easing congestion in Nairobi.

The eviction, which started on Monday will leave more than 30 000 people homeless. It has already left about 2,000 children without schooling after five schools were demolished during the first days of the operation.

The UN Special rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Leilani Farha said the evictions “fly in the face of face of commitments made by the Government to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals”.

The evictions were carried despite and earlier promise that those affected would be resettled an compensated. Now the UN want all those affected to be compensated. Farha said the evictions constitute a gross violation of human rights.

The experts urged Kenyan authorities to adopt laws requiring appropriate consultation, resettlement and compensation for development-based evictions in line with international human rights standards.

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