After close to two months break of demolitions in Nairobi and its environs, the operation is set to resume before the end of this month.
The demolitions targets 4,000 buildings, structures and facilities erected on riparian land and road reserves.
The head of the multi-agency team overseeing the exercise, Mr Julius Wanjau, said the operation is set to resume before the end of this month after the expiry of most of the one-month notices given out.
Mr Wanjau said the multi-agency team will meet any time this month to strategise on the next course of action.
“We could not proceed with the demolitions as there were notices given out last month by this team causing a stop to the demolitions but most expired on October 31 and so we will start any time this month so long as it is within Nairobi,” said Mr Wanjau .
He further stated that before the demolitions stopped, almost half of the approximated 2,000 marked structures on wetlands in Nairobi had been brought down by the end of August either through individual efforts or by the multi-agency task force.
“Many people who had marks on their buildings have demolished most of the marked areas themselves in areas like Kileleshwa, Kobumunyiri in Kamukunji and Kiruga,” he said.
The National Building Inspectorate chairman Moses Nyakiongera confirmed that demolition of unsafe structures will resume in a week’s time once funding is received from the Treasury.
“We will resume any time because our budgetary allocation for this quarter has been loaded, so it should be a week or so from now then you will see us in action,”said Mr Nyakiongora.
Adding that the demolition exercise is planned to start in Huruma estate in Nairobi”.
However, he said that inspection, auditing and scientific testing have been ongoing.
Do you think the government should compensate owners of the demolished building? most of them claims they were issued title deeds on the say called lands.
In the first phase of demolition structures were pulled down in Kileleshwa, Westlands, Lang’ata and Eastlands.
Famous buildings that were brought down included,Airgate center formerly Taj mall, Nakumatt Ukay Centre, Java Kileleshwa, Southend Mall and a section of Oshwal Centre.