Thousands to lose properties as NMS targets íllègal structures

Thousands of residents of Nairobi risk losing their properties as Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) move to demolish illegal structures and evict occupants on disputed pieces.

NMS defended itself gainst accusations of overseeing various demolitions that have left city residents make losses.

NMS Director-General Lieutenant-General Mohamed Badi absolved his entity from the demolitions, laying the blame on the multi-agency team involving the regional security committee and which determines which court orders on evictions are to be affected.

Appearing before the Senate Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental relations, Badi was hard-pressed to convince committee members that NMS officers were not part of the task force that carries out evictions that are mostly illegal.

The committee chaired by Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang is probing forceful and illegal demolitions in Eastleigh and Pumwani.

“There is a multi-agency committee chaired by a regional commissioner that sits to even decide how many police officers will be involved, how many NMS officers are involved, and so forth, I am sure they have standard operating procedures but if you ask me I am not involved in that operation,” Badi told the nine-member panel.

Unconvinced, Kajwang’ pressed NMS to divulge details on their involvement, especially on Eastleigh and Pumwani where property belongs to City Hall.