Nyayo estate residents stage protest at NSSF headquarters over land grabbing

Nyayo estate residents and property owners on Thursday held a peaceful protest at the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) headquarters in Nairobi, demanding government support and intervention against alleged illegal land grabbing by unknown private developers.

The angry residents claim there is unauthorized construction ongoing in their land and that they have received several threats of sexual abuse, causing anxiety among sections of the community.

The estate was conceptualized by the national government in 1998 and serves as a home to thousands of residents with a total of 4,774 housing units, serving as the biggest customers of the NSSF.

According to residents, the estate perimeter wall was demolished two years ago by unknown invaders who have now begun constructing new buildings.

Ryana Makokha, a resident at Nyayo Estate, said that the land in question is meant for the construction of a three stream public primary school and a public secondary school.

"Over the last few weeks we've been trying to find out why they let a foundation be built on the same piece of land and when we tried to ask and went to the grounds, there were goons…they hurled insults, threw dead creatures, and even went ahead to threaten some of the ladies with rape," Makokha noted.

Makhoka added that initially there was a master plan 26 years ago for the construction of the public amenities, but nothing has been done so far.

She said they’re now left in a dilemma fearing that their children will also in future be holding placards and questioning NSSF in the streets.

Lillian Ong'ondo, another resident, now wants NSSF to restore the demolished perimeter wall and stop the ongoing construction as well as provide enough security at plot 817, the allegedly grabbed land.

"When we try even to go to the property to see what is going on, we are accosted by goons. I'm here asking you Babu Owino, Ricardo Nyantika, Johnson Sakaja where are you to fight for us? All we want is a school, a public hospital…the land is there so why are they not doing that for us?” She posed.

"You know with the grabbing of this 817 it is assumed that everybody who lives in Nyayo is able to take their children to a public school, which is far from the truth. We have some people who probably bought their properties and then in the course of living there, lost their jobs so they can no longer take their children to public schools. That is why we’re agitating for the construction of the property so that even children of people who do not have funds to take their children to private schools can be able to do that," Dr. Wangari Ndungu said.

Besides that, the residents are also demanding for the NSSF to publicly announce the names of the cartels involved in the land grabbing.