In Kenya, the government began bulldozing homes built in flood-prone areas and promising evicted families the equivalent of $75 to relocate after a deadline to evacuate due to rains murderous.
In Nairobi, the capital, a bulldozer smashed through sheet metal walls as residents looked on in despair. Security forces, armed with guns and batons, stand guard and fire tear gas at some residents. Last week, the government asked thousands of people living near rivers, dams and other flood-prone areas to leave, as torrential rains that have killed 238 people in recent weeks continued to batter the area. the country.
Most people whose homes have been demolished say they do not know where to go, although the government says they have been informed of options. Human Rights Watch accused the government of responding inadequately.
“What are we going to do now?” We love our president and that’s why we supported him. He should come to our aid,” Jekenke Jegeke told the Associated Press.
President William Ruto, who visited the sprawling Mathare informal settlement along the Nairobi River on Monday, said people whose homes had been demolished would receive 10,000 Kenyan shillings ($75) to help them resettle elsewhere.
According to civil society groups, three people, including two children, died in Mathare after being crushed by bulldozers during the demolitions – one before the president’s visit and two after.
Three people, including two children, died in Mathare after being crushed by bulldozers during the demolitions – one before the president’s visit and two after – according to civil society groups.
Last week, opposition leader Raila Odinga warned the government against demolishing more houses in the absence of a resettlement plan.
The number of people affected by the floods in Kenya stands at 235,000, most of them living in camps.
Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki on Tuesday reiterated the evacuation order for 200 families living in the Kijabe region, a few hours’ drive from Nairobi, where around 60 people were killed and houses destroyed. were swept away by water that rushed into a blocked railway tunnel last week.
It was this disaster that triggered the government’s evacuation order. It is unclear how many houses have been demolished across Kenya since then.
Meanwhile, the Kenyan government has said water levels in the country’s two main hydroelectric dams – Masinga and Kiambere – have reached “historic levels”, and people living downstream on the Tana River have been urged to leave the premises.
