Sakaja finally intervenes to stop Mukuru, Komarock evictions
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has intervened to halt the looming eviction of over 10,000 residents from the informal settlement of Mukuru Kwa Njenga, temporarily averting what many feared would become a humanitarian crisis.
A showdown began as a private developer moved to reclaim a disputed 100-acre plot, asserting legal ownership and preparing to clear the densely populated settlement.
But just as eviction efforts were set to commence, Governor Sakaja arrived on the scene, urging a ceasefire and calling for dialogue instead of bulldozers.
“These are over 10,000 people with families. We must have a dialogue on this matter and come to an amicable solution. It is inhumane to evict them without providing an alternative place to go. We are the government — both county and national — and we can facilitate a solution where both parties win,” the governor said firmly.
Residents, many of whom have lived in Mukuru Kwa Njenga for decades, were visibly distressed. Their semi-permanent homes represent the only stability they’ve ever known.
The governor’s intervention comes at a tense time for Nairobi’s urban poor, with evictions and demolitions on the rise as land disputes resurface across the capital.
In a separate but related incident, Governor Sakaja also suspended the planned eviction of 1,000 residents in the Jada Kanguruwe area of Komarock.
The evictions had been initiated by the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC), which claims ownership of the contested land.
“Temporarily, we have stopped the eviction and encouraged dialogue between the two parties. That way, we can reach an amicable solution,” Sakaja said on Wednesday, May 21, 2025.
The back-to-back interventions have offered a glimmer of hope to thousands of families living in fear of displacement, at least for now.
Meanwhile, former Makueni Governor and long-time activist Prof. Kivutha Kibwana added his voice to the growing chorus opposing forced evictions in the capital.
Using his official X account, Kibwana urged Sakaja to halt the evictions of City Council estate tenants being pursued over rent arrears.
“On behalf of Nairobi City Council estates residents at Jamhuri, Kariakor, Woodley, New & Old Ngara, Buruburu & Harambee, Kariobangi South, Pioneer Outering Rd, Uhuru, Jericho & Lumumba, I ask @SakajaJohnson to stop evictions & meet the residents to agree on a rent arrears payment plan,” he wrote.
As pressure mounts from residents and leaders alike, the ball now lies in Sakaja’s court to turn his temporary interventions into lasting solutions — and to prove that urban governance can be both lawful and humane.
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Martin Oduor
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