State to demolish City’s Sh10bn estate
Residents of a multi-billion shilling estate and a magnificent church are living in fear after a Cabinet Secretary warned they could be evicted.
The land on which the houses were built was grabbed, he said.
The government will issue a 21-day notice to the owners of houses in Diamond Park and the Winners Chapel in Nairobi’s South B, said Agriculture head Felix Kosgey.
“According to the Ndung’u report, all the allocation of the 210 acre is illegal and should be reverted to the Government,” said Mr Kosgey.
Residents living in the estate stormed the offices of the firm which sold them the houses to demand answers following Mr Kosgey’s statement, last Friday.
The estate built 10 years ago is of 600 houses, each valued at Sh16 million. Most are inhabited by their owners while others have been rented out.
“It has been a nightmare since Saturday as family members are on our necks, calling from even abroad to inquire about the demolitions but in spite of our assurances, tension is still very high,” said Ahmed Rashid, Diamond Estate’s project manager.
One resident, businessman Abdulrahaman Mohamed, commented, “This is the only investment I have with my young family. It will be wrong for the Government to purport any illegal dealing on our side after meeting all the conditions set by them.”
He bought his house in the estate three years ago.
And Ms Saida Bule, a daughter of a former diplomat, who was among residents streaming to the company’s offices, added: “Our father is deceased and the house is the only property he left us with and we got debts also. We are really scared if something happens to our house.”
A director of the company maintained that the property was legally acquired and that they had all relevant documents.
“We bought this land through an open tender in 2003 from the NSSF, paid 10 per cent before settling the rest of the money in the following months and started developing the property and have been selling them to Kenyans,” said Diamond Park director Khalif Mohamed Ali.
In spite of not receiving official communication of the 21-day notice, Mr Khalif said all options were on the table and they would act when need be.
The estate also has a primary and secondary school which are already running while a shopping centre is also being built.