MAUREEN WARUINGE ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST

15 October 2023

• It affects almost 1000 acres for EAPCC.

President Ruto's order to the Ministry of Land to revoke titles of land that have not been developed in Athi River for over 10 years has not been well received.

On 13 Oct, the Head of State said that speculators who have been holding land without developing should be kicked out and the parcels transferred to EPZ.

Ruto also ordered that the part of the land that was grabbed from the East Africa Portland Cement Company (EAPCC) and which the court directed be returned to the company, should also be transferred to the EPZ.

He noted that about 1,000 acres should be transferred from EAPCC to EPZ to enable the government's efforts to expand the facility.

KOT has weighed in on the matter with Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti protesting the move,

"It's shocking that government security agencies proceeded with the demolitions of homes without issuing any notice to the affected people as the law requires. It is partially disappointing that the process was unnecessarily rushed despite the fact that there were ongoing high-level discussions between the President and I on the matter," she wrote on her Twitter account.

Popular TikToker Alvan Love also protested saying his parents faced homelessness.

"So tap tap the screen, share the live and screen record, put it out there. Put it on Twitter guys, let's go," he called on Kenyans online.

In the video, he shouts about his distress

"This Government we don't fight with cops. Cops are not on our side. We fight for ourselves. Sisi wenyewe ndio tunajisimamia. They flattened a church over there. Family something...it's been flattened."

"How can you flatten a whole church? Uko huko ati unasema you are God fearing, you are a liar. You are a despot and a liar. Huyo ni muongo amekuja kutumaliza. Taxes ziko juu everything is up, we even stopped complaining about fuel prices, kila kitu iko juu we cant even say anything about it. And anyone who tries to say anything about it, they bribe them and buy them. I cannot be bought. Government imeniguza, the Government has out a finger in my nose. I'm about to lose my parents home tomorrow."

He further added that his mother risked losing her home as well, and she has no other home.

"My mum who is frail, kidney failure we built this home for her. So that we can be close to health care hapa Nairobi. Tukamtoa ushago. Sasa ako hapa, kesho analala wapi? Yes she can stay with me, but how many other peoples homes mean so much for them and they are about to be flattened by people who don't even care, they don't have a conscience, they don't have a heart."

Alvan called for structured, meaningful, and intentional discussion around the matter.

"Because of a mouth that doesn't know about the people or the pain of the people that voted for him. Bottom up nikusema nini? That means he wanted to finish us, unanyanyasa mwananchi wa Kenya Why would you demolish peoples homes? You are not even half way through, and already bulldozers are flattening peoples properties. Dont tell me you care about the common mwananchi. Wewe ni myanyasi umekuja kutunyanyasa. Wewe ni muongo, this country has been going down, your graces have been going down, , haujali."

"You don't care, come look for me wherever I am, I have nothing to lose right now, if my parents dont have a home to sleep in tomorrow, I dont care about this Government, come and find me where I am. Kuja unifinye, na nikipota ni wewe ulinipoteza. Kenyans we have to stand up for ourselves, there is no one to stand up for us, the system is against us."

Alvan told of the agony of area residents, "Äre we birds to you? Are we animals to you? Sis ni pundamilia? The life of the common mwananchi life is precious you cannot wipe out people's homes, and demolish them in the name of cement. And if you were being advised badly, you need to put those people to task. You are about to take people out of their homes, for cement? Portland Cement ni kusema nini? Tunakulanga simiti?"