Emeute meurtrière à Nakuru contre une expulsion – septembre 2010

Two dead in Kenya eviction row

KBC News

Thu, Sep 02, 2010

At least two people were shot dead and several others injured on Wednesday in Nakuru town when tenants resisting eviction from council houses clashed with police.

The over 2,000 tenants of Nakuru’s flamingo estate engaged police in running battles after they refused to vacate the houses belonging to the Nakuru municipal council over non-payment of rent arrears amounting to Sh175 million.

The protests turned violent when council askaris backed by a contingent of Regular Police from the Bondeni Police Station tried to forcibly evict tenants, attracting the attention of an irate mob.

Those injured are admitted at the Rift Valley Provincial hospital in critical condition. Two women were shot by stray bullets while another was shot in the chest..

The mob also set on fire a vehicle belonging to the Municipal Council of Nakuru, and hurled stones at the policemen, injuring six of them.

One of the administration police officers is fighting for his life at the War-Memorial Hospital after he was allegedly run-over by a vehicle when he fell off a speeding lorry belonging to the police.

The tenants were joined by hundreds of angry youth who barricaded various roads.

The combined security forces had to call for reinforcement from the neighboring Njoro and Molo districts to quell the protests.

The irate mob stormed the NCCK Jumuia guest house located along KANU street and made away with valuables before smashing windows.

Nakuru Mayor John Kitilit condemned the incident claiming that the youths who confronted the council askaris were hired by politicians to tarnish the name of the council.

He confirmed that one civic leader from the council was arrested for inciting the residents and vowed to continue with the evictions.

Two dead, 8 injured as police engage Nakuru residents in eviction row

Nation.co.ke

Thursday, September 2 2010

What had been planned to be a simple eviction exercise in Nakuru turned tragic on Thursday, when two people died while six others were admitted to hospital with bullet wounds.

Property worth millions of shillings was also destroyed when police engaged tenants from several estates in the town in running battles after they resisted the evictions upon expiry of a 48 hour notice.

Residents of Flamingo, Kaloleni, Kimathi, and Kivumbini Estates who occupy houses belonging to the Municipal Council of Nakuru were up for eviction due to non-payment of arrears running into hundreds of millions of shillings.

The protests, which began in the early morning hours turned violent when the council askaris backed by a contingent of antiriot police tried to forcibly evict the tenants, attracting the attention of an irate mob.

Vehicle burnt

A reinforcement of more officers from the Central Police station had to be brought in after the mob set on fire a vehicle belonging to the council.

The mob had also started hurling stones at the policemen injuring two in the process.

The mob, mainly youths, then barricaded Moi Road which leads to the Nakuru National Park, leaving several tourists stranded. The tourists had to be escorted to the park by police.

At one point during the skirmishes, an overwhelmed police led by area police boss Johnston Ipara had to take cover at a nearby Catholic church surrounded by a stone throwing mob who were baying for their blood.

Two Administration Police officers who were injured – were admitted at the Forces Memorial Hospital with serious injuries after they were hit with stones.

Six people, two of them in critical condition, were rushed to the Rift Valley Provincial General Hospital with gunshot wounds.

Doctors battled against time to save a man shot in the head, who was said to have been an innocent bystander watching from the rooftop of his flat when a stray bullet caught him on the head as police shot in the air.

The tenants were resisting attempts by the council to evict them after the expiry of a 48-hour notice requiring them to leave for failure to pay their rents accumulating to Sh175 million accrued over a five year period.

The council has on several occasions tried to evict the tenants with little or no success over five years, but Thursday’s riots were so far the worst.

Mayor John Kitilit said during a press briefing that they had held a meeting on many occasions with the tenants where it was agreed that those with the highest arrears were to pay by August 31, failure to which they were going to be evicted.

“We have talked to them severally where it was agreed that those who were unable were to come and explain their problem but no one came,” said Mr Kitilit.

The mayor said that the council had yet to take a full account of the losses they have incurred as a result of the fracas.

Alleged dispute

At the centre of the eviction fiasco is an alleged dispute between the Council and the National Housing Corporation which built the houses.

“I have lived here for the last 35 years. The arrears stretch back since 2002 when the Council and the NHC started fighting over ownership of the houses.

2 feared dead as riot hits Kenyan town

capitalfm.co.ke

2 09 2010

NAKURU, Kenya, Sep 2 – Two people were feared dead while seven others – including three police officers – were injured during violent confrontations between police and tenants in Nakuru on Thursday.

Witnesses said the violence erupted after police officers tried to evict tenants from six housing estates in the town. Angry youths engaged police officers and council askaris in running battles pelting them with stones for the better part of the day.

Majority of those who injured were reportedly hit by police bullets during the fracas. Among those wounded were two women – one who was hit on the leg while the other – sustained injuries near the abdomen.

The tenants were resisting a move by the Municipal Council of Nakuru to evict them from the estates over rent arrears totalling Sh175 million accrued over a five-year period.

Two Administration Police officers were rushed to hospital with injuries. The youths set ablaze a police helmet and a cap left behind by the fleeing officers.

The fight brought business on Kanu Street and Flamingo Road to a standstill.  The mob barricaded the streets, lit bonfires and removed advertising billboards.

A vehicle belonging to the Council was burnt and reduced to a shell while a conference hall located on Kanu Street looted and property damaged.

“We are not going to vacate the houses as the council has failed to listen to us,” one of the residents said.

A similar exercise to evict the tenants last month failed with the security forces being repulsed by the youths.

Former Nakuru Mayor David Gikaria who is the area councillor was arrested during the violence after police accused him of inciting the youths.

The youths demanded for the release of Mr Gikaria and called for the sacking of Town Clerk Sheikh Abdullahi.

Area police chief Police Johnstone Ipara told journalists three people including the former Mayor had been arrested over with the riots.

“We are going to charge the councillor with incitement and arson,” he added.

The mob barricaded the street, lit bonfires and removed advertising billboards on the busy street

~ par Alain Bertho sur 2 septembre 2010.