Jomvu MP Badi Twalib at Deputy President Kithure
Kindiki’s official residence on Tuesday / BRIAN OTIENO
Miritini, Kwa Punda and Kibarani residents in Jomvu constituency
are still living in limbo after their houses were demolished to pave way for
the construction of the commuter train’s Meter Gauge Railway linking the SGR
Mombasa terminus to the CBD.
More than 200 residents had their livelihoods
disrupted.
Jomvu MP Badi Twalib on Friday said he is pushing
to have the government compensate them, even though the residents are said to
be squatters who had invaded land belonging to the Kenya Railways Corporation.
“It is important to note that these are also
citizens of Kenya just like any other citizens,” Twalib said.
He noted that even though he appreciates the fact
that government has come up with the MGR, but there are people who had their
houses demolished for that.
Twaib said it would not be fair for President
William Ruto, when he comes to officially open the station, to be making a
speech and a section of residents are crying because they no longer have
residential areas while others are happy.
“It is the work of the government to resettle
people. That is why as an MP, I have talked to the KRC managing director, PS
Mohamed Daghar and deputy president Kithure Kindiki, who concurred with me that
it is important that these people are taken care of,” Twalib told the Star on
phone.
This is part of the agenda he had when Coast MPs
met with DP Kindiki at his official residence on Tuesday.
Although he was rooting for Sh10 million as the compensation
package, the government promised they could only give him Sh5 million.
“There are no jobs in Kenya and life is hard. If
these people remain in limbo like they are, it will be difficult for them and
their families to even get food,” Twalib said.
The MP noted that he has raised the matter with the
National Assembly transport committee, which he a member of.
The MP said the Kenya Kwanza government must have
implementers of their programs who are positive about the programs.
“If they are not positive about the programs they
are supposed to implement and do it shadily, they are only making things worse
for the President,” Twalib, who has been in elective politics for 17 years now,
said.
The Sh5 million compensation package, he said, is
not enough and he will have to come up with innovative ways to help the
displaced residents.
Talks between his office and that of Mombasa
Governor Abdulswamad Nassir’s are ongoing to have him acquire a piece of land somewhere
in Jomvu to resettle the displaced residents.
“The money is little. If we give them, they will
eat the money and still have no place to live. That is why we plan to acquire
land and build for them small decent houses which can make them live with
dignity,” said Twalib.
This way, he said, there will be little or no
complaints because the house that will be built for the about 200 people will
be better than the ones they used to live in.
Haki Africa’s Mathias Shipeta welcomed the idea by
Twalib saying it will provide reprieve for the families although the matter has
been overtaken by events.
Shipeta, a human rights activist, said the most
decent thing the government should have done while demolishing the people’s
premises was to provide them with temporary shelters, even though they occupied
KRC’s land illegally.
“When the Buxton people were moved they were given
a package to find somewhere else even if it was for a short period.
“When the Kibarani-Mariakani road was being
constructed, even people with no title deeds were compensated even though at a
lower rate than those whom had,” Shipeta said.
He noted those who lived on KRC;s lands were
living there out of their low-income status and not because they wanted to live
there.
A government that cares, he said, should have given
them a soft landing spot when demolishing their houses.
“Because those people are low income earners, they
should be considered as a priority for the Affordable Housing units that are
coming up in Changamwe and nearby areas
“These are people with families. The long term should
be giving them a place to settle permanently.
“If the Affordable Housing is for the boda boda
and mama mbogas, they too should be considered. Government cannot miss
alternatives,” Shipeta said.
Ends...
Instant Analysis:
The MGR connecting the Mombasa Terminus of the SGR
at Miritini and the Mombasa CBD will provide easy transportation between the
two stations after SGR users complained of the long distance to the terminus.
The KRC said the CBD station is now complete and will soon be officially opened
by President William Ruto.
PIC:
Jomvu MP Badi Twalib at Deputy President Kithure
Kindiki’s official residence on Tuesday / BRIAN OTIENO
