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You will be given land, Lucy tells squatters
THE STANDARD
19. April 2007
By Moses Njagih and Patrick Wachira
First Lady Lucy Kibaki came face to face with the plight of families evicted from Government forests more than 15 years ago.
The First Lady braved the chilly weather on Tuesday morning to visit the slums where the squatters live.
She promised the 2,000 families that the Government had set aside land for their resettlement by August.
"Huku lazima mtatoka kwa sababu hakuna binadamu anafaa kuishi huku (You will have to move out of here because no human being should live in such conditions)," she said.
Lucy, who also distributed food, wondered how the evictees were living without basic needs like water and toilets.
"You are strong and I thank you for bringing up your families in such pathetic conditions and maintaining good health," she added.
The families were forced out of Chehe, Ragati and Hombe forests, which are part of Mt Kenya Forest. Lucy waded through the sprawling Muoroto and Kagochi slums in Mathira, where the squatters live by the roadside since 1989.
There would have not been a better time for the First Lady to come calling than a day when the area was muddy and slippery after an overnight downpour that continued into the day.
Lucy’s convoy had to wade through the quagmire that only four-wheel cars could handle.
And the First Lady did not disappoint. "The Government has found land for you, and surveying is in progress. You should be moved there by August," said Lucy amid cheers.
She accused former MPs and administrators of failure to push the then government to relocate the squatters. Central PC, Mr Kiplimo Rugut, and area MP, Mr Nderitu Gachagua, accompanied her.
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