Murkomen Tears Into Oguna Over His Recent Remarks on Kariobangi, Ruai Evictions

Elgeyo Marakwet senator Kipchumba Murkomen has torn into government spokesperson over Kariobangi and Ruai evictions.

Murkomen on Wednesday June 17, claimed that the National government smokes something special.

The former senate majority leader was responding to government spokesperson Cyrus Oguna’s take on the Kariobangi and Ruai demolitions that left thousands of families homeless.

In an interview with NTV, Oguna said that the government is concerned about the demolitions in Kariobangi and Ruai that have left hundreds of people homeless, and that a committee was put up to look into the matter.

However, Murkomen claimed that the government that paid allowances to police officers to demolish houses of poor people leaving them homeless is now paying allowances to the big boys to to look into the matter.

According to Murkomen, it is hard to convince someone that the government does not smoke something special.

“The government that paid allowances to police officers to demolish houses of poor people leaving them homeless is now paying allowances to the big boys to to look into the matter. Then someone tells me the government doesn’t smoke something special. Nkt,” Murkomen tweeted.

On the morning of 4 May, despite a court order issued the day before restraining authorities from conducting the eviction, around 8,000 persons were forcibly removed from Kariobangi and their houses flattened.

The Kenyan Government had only notified them verbally 24 to 48 hours in advance, and had not taken any measure to provide them with food, temporary shelter, access to water and sanitation or any type of compensation. Thousands of people are currently homeless and in need of urgent assistance.

On 15 May, more than 1,500 people were forced out of their homes in Ruai at night, during curfew hours and in heavy rainfall. Affected families were not provided with shelter and have been sleeping out in the cold under the rain.

The demolition of the structures in Kariobangi was carried out by the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company in a bid to reclaim the land where more than 5,000 families have been living since 2008.