Muthurwa is one of Nairobi’s
oldest estates (by estate, I mean a sort of housing complex). More than 3,000
families live on what – by my totally unofficial estimate – is less than a
square kilometer on the east edge of Nairobi’s
downtown.
Muthurwa was built by the Kenya Railways Corporation just after the
Second World War to house its employees. When the railway was privatized a few
years ago (thank you structural adjustment), residents had to start paying
rent. Management of the estate was passed on to a separate entity, which has
announced it plans to sell the land. Rows of houses (single-room dwellings)
have been marked with large Xs for demolition.
I attended a community organizing meeting on Sunday, 24
October. (It was mostly in Swahili, but instructive nonetheless.) The residents
are working with the rights NGO Kituo Cha Sheria to bring their case to court
and put a stay on the demolition. (They already managed to stay the demolition
once, back in July, when they were given three days – three days!! – notice to
vacate their dwellings. They are living on borrowed time now.)
Under Kenya’s
new constitution, the residents can plead with the court that their right to
housing is being abused. As Priscilla from Kituo Cha Sheria told me, if they
can’t save the houses, they at least want to fight for a dignified eviction.
The residents need time to find new places to live.
Muthurwa is very conveniently located. Transport from the
next affordable estate, one resident told me, would cost her 70 shillings (CAD$0.83)
each day. She can’t afford that. Many of the residents either run small businesses
in Muthurwa, or work in or near the downtown core.
On the Sunday I visited, the people elected 11 representatives
to be their voices in court in November when they will go before the judge.
Last month, the water corporation shut off the water in
Muthurwa. In July, several outdoor toilets were destroyed and a row of houses
torn down. Muthurwa’s electricity was cut off around that time, too.
