Terrible! Terrible and very sad indeed!

Watching houses worth millions being demolished in Syokimau was really shocking and sad, families left in the cold and a man telling people to see his house worth 30million about to become a pile of rubble. Imagine after people bought land and built homes not just simple homes but good homes that they built to get away from renting houses in the City and the congestion. The money involved most of them from borrowed loans that many may be still paying. Then Kenya Airports Authority decides to mercilessly shatter the lives of these families by demolishing the homes saying they were built on Airport land. Were they asleep when the land was being sold? Where were they when the buildings were coming up?

Airport land or not it is said many of these people acquired these plots legally, Syokimau is under Mavoko county council and I know these people are strict because I have dealt with them in the past. I remember when I wanted to build a home I had to take an architectural drawing to Machakos for approval and paid for it. They occasionally inspect the building to ensure it is done according to their requirement. I thought at that time if Nairobi Council did the same Nairobi area would have had orderly buildings. However because of personal reasons I decided to build a home elsewhere. When I also remember demolitions on Mombasa road in Mlolongo also under Mavoko then it seems this Mavoko council that I thought was so organized than Nairobi council is a sham and cannot be trusted.

The Government is also fully to blame for these traumatizing demolitions that will tremendously affect the families. They let the land to be sold and documents issued, they watched the building come up and people settle. Why didn’t they stop the people before spending a lot on the buildings, it would have been better they lost the land but not land plus building. People cried and wailed it was very sad watching the beautiful houses come down. Having built my home I imagined what it would be like for someone to decide to demolish it I would get sick.

I agree with the person who talked to the media and he said the owners were not prepared; they needed counseling before the demolitions, by bringing the homes down they were bringing down peoples' lives. If they were prepared they would have salvaged some of the material to use or sell. What a Government! A Government that inflicts such pain on a family is a Government that cannot be relied on.