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Kenya: NMS Officers Blindsided Me – Badi Denies Knowledge of Pumwani, Eastleigh Evictions

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Nairobi — Nairobi Metropolitan Service (NMS) Director General Mohammed Badi has denied authorizing evictions in Pumwani and Eastleigh estates owned by the Nairobi City County saying NMS officers who participated in the raids did so without his approval.

Badi made the statement when he appeared before the Senate Devolution and Intergovernmental Commitee on Wednesday.

He said the evictions were enforced by the Nairobi regional security committee supervised by Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho under the auspices of the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government.

Badi denied having received court orders enforcing the evictions after it emerged a private developer secured the same.

The developer, Nomad Resort Limited, is reported to have been reallocated the parcels of land at the centre of the dispute by the Nairobi City County but Badi said NMS couldn’t find records of when the transfer was effected.

In one of the evictions conducted in Eastleigh in 2021, staff quarters for Nairobi Water Company, the evictees alleged that the evictions were conducted under the surveillance of NMS and police officers.

“Nomad wrote to NMS requesting us to help in evictions, but we referred nomad to the Nairobi regional security committee as NMS has no such power. A multi-agency committee comprising all government agencies removed the individuals that encroached the parcels of land,” said Badi.

The NMS boss insisted the agency had no powers to enforce the evictions, so they proceeded to hand over the matter to security agencies within Nairobi regional security team.

He instead blamed the Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai as the evictions were conducted within his purview.

“There is a committee that sits to even divide how many police officers will be involved, how many NMS officers are involved and so forth.

“I am sure they have standard operating procedures but if you ask me I am not involved in that operation,” said Badi.

Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen questioned why NMS failed to issue eviction notices to the residents in Eastleigh yet the agency is the legal entity mandated to issue such documents in cases of evictions in Nairobi.

“Did you issue a notice and where is the evidence of such notice? NMS is seemingly telling us that they were also shocked that an eviction was happening, ” Murkomen stated.

“If government officers were not given a court notice, what about a common mwananchi. What protocols are followed when evictions are done,” added Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja.