국제앰네스티는 나이로비 정착지의 강제 퇴거로 인해 수 백 가정이 집을 잃은 것과 관련해 케냐 당국에 이러한 강제 퇴거를 중단할 것을 요청했다.나이로비 시의회의 주도로 카베테 NITD (Kabete NITD) 내 시장 노점의 강제 철거가 이번 주에만 두 번째로 단행됐다. 지난 10일에는 집 100채와 470채의 시장 노점 건물이 당국에 의해 철거됐다. 강제 퇴거가 임박했다는 소문은 있었으나, 주민 및 상인들에게 공식적인 통보가 없었다. 국제앰네스티 유스투스 냥가야(Justus Nyang’aya) 케냐지부 국장은 “이미 빈곤 속에서 살고 있던 카베테 NITD 주민들은 자신들의 집과 살림이 사전 통보 없이 무너지는 것을 봐야했다”며 “이런 대규모 강제 철거는 즉시 중단돼야 한다”고 말했다. |
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Hundreds made homeless by mass forced eviction in Kenya
15 July 2010
Amnesty International has called on the Kenyan authorities to halt the forced evictions in a Nairobi settlement that have left hundreds of families homeless and destitute.
A bulldozer from the Nairobi City Council flattened market stalls in Kabete NITD on Tuesday night for the second time this week. On Saturday, authorities had demolished around 100 homes and 470 market stalls.
Despite rumours in the community that forced evictions were imminent, no official notice was given to residents or traders.
“The residents of Kabete NITD, who were already living in poverty, have seen their homes and livelihoods destroyed without warning – these mass demolitions must end immediately,” said Justus Nyang’aya, Director of Amnesty International Kenya.
When some traders continued to work on the rubble of their former stalls, the bulldozer returned just before midnight on Tuesday to re-flatten the site.
A toilet block that was partially destroyed on Saturday and then re-built by residents was also entirely demolished on Tuesday night. Police and city officials then filled the remaining pit latrines with rubbish so that they could not be used.
Angry residents reportedly clashed with armed police on Wednesday as tensions flared in the settlement.
Many residents were still inside their homes when the bulldozers first arrived, giving them just minutes to evacuate.
“I woke up suddenly and heard the tractor as it was demolishing everything. We’d had no warning they would be evicting us. We tried to salvage some of our things but it all happened so fast. We even lost all of our clothes and bedding. I have nowhere to go, nowhere to run to. The government should give us land where we can build,” Beverly, a 61-year-old resident of Kabete NITD, told Amnesty International.
The evictions have left hundreds of people, mainly women and children, without shelter. Many are sleeping outdoors without blankets or warm clothes, or money to buy food or other essential items. It is currently winter in Nairobi and cold at night.
Most of the market traders – the majority of them women – lost all their goods and have had their livelihoods destroyed. Residents believe that another part of the settlement is also at risk of being demolished.
“The government is treating us like dogs. They don’t think that we are human beings. They say that they are fighting poverty but really they are promoting it by carrying out evictions in this way,” said Sella, a 78 year-old woman from the part of Kabete NITD under threat of forced eviction.
Kabete NITD (Native Industrial Training Department) was established in 1974 by workers constructing a road. The land is owned by the Veterinary Department of the government of Kenya, although there have been other claims of ownership and repeated threats of forced eviction.
In May 2010, market traders operating from the road reserve in Kangemi were relocated by the provincial administration to unused land in Kabete NITD. The relocation took place after months of consultation and negotiation and was peacefully carried out.
By contrast, the forced evictions from Kabete NITD have been carried out without any such safeguards and completely disregard the relocation plan that had earlier been agreed with the communities.
