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 these are the notes from the starting part of 15th april  copy pasted from the chat room - more material coming 

 

[07:46:34] Cidi (Kenya): Hi team the meeting has started

people intriducing themselves

Housing is a right and in Most cases those in authorities ignore the livelihoods of those living in informal settlements

There must be public participation in the whole process of eviction and resettlements

 

Olal- In Africities people talked about setting up anti evtiction squads which protect the people from frocelful evition. There should be a number o fpeople who stand against eviction and wake people up when there is eviction

Poeple must take public participation seriously especially in budgeting and planing - Olal

 

Mike - Africities was a meeting whee the ministers have to be told the truth about the real situation in the ground. The voices must be heard and if they cant listen then they must be disrupted to amplify the people voices

We have to engage in different forums and also create alternative people forum especially in the coming Habitat III. We have to ask questions that disprupt the process that legitimises evictions

In Africities IAI brought social movemnst from 30 groups an dthe genuine people's voices were heard

One of the problem is to get grassroots recomendations adopted. Out of 100 recomendations 3 might be adoptes

One of the recomendations is to create working groups as we head to the next Africities and Mike has been pushing it

Social Movements said that the recomendations of the 2012 were not adopted

IAI approach housing as linking both urban and rural areas as housing cuts across. It is important to do this to have unform interventions

IAI makes to govts, and to International Groups to amplify the voices of the grassroots

in Africities IAI pushed for creating working committees to make the recomendations a reality

We want to build signatories to support the recomendations for ownership of the ssues

[08:52:08] Chekai - Gisenyi slums in Uganda, the MTN have been given mandate by the Uganda government to demolish the slums and build a customer care center

There is need to use Bunge structures in the whole of EA so that they can be a perfect ground for nurturing IAI antennae in EA

The leadership in EA do not consider the plights of the slum dwellers e.g. the case of Gisneyi

[08:57:09] Geroge - Eviction come in many forms like wars, econmic evticions etc. We have to stop MNCs who come to Africa to grab land

 

 [09:04:26] Mativo - Is a member of Rapid Response Team to combat eviction and is supoorted by AI

AI has seen the need for enabling the community in combating the threats

The perpetrators always demonise the HRDs who are working against evtictions as a form of smear campiagns

Presenting two cases of evictions in Mombasa that were extensivley reseracehd and documented

 

[09:09:32] Mike - On 17 May 2015 the Jomvu residents were worken up to eviction due to a major project on a Mombasa Mariakani road

The project is supported by World Bank and are oblivious of the sufferings of teh people living inthe area

On 17 May 2015 between 11pm and midnight the Bulldozer came accomapnied by police desended on Jomvu slums and demolished the slum and in the morning the residents were left to count their losses

Th epoeple of Jomvu were caught unawares and the people were left with no option but to leave. It left about 200 residents homeless and without businesses. One young girls was seriously injured and a disabled person was injured after the bulldozer crushed his house

 

 [09:17:40] Musa : The police denied their involvement in Jomvu evictions along the the KENYA NATIONAL HIGHWAYS AUTHORITY who distanced themselves from the mess. Presentation by comrade Mativu

 

 [09:19:02] Mativo - The Jomvu demolision caused tention in other areas like Darajani, Bangladesh where people lived in a lot fear.

the athorities like the police said they did not know about the evtcition despite the fact that the police were involved

From Mariakani to Dogo road people are to be evicted to pave way for expansion of the raod

the Mombasa Governor launched vision 2035 where he wants to turn Mombasa to a Dubai and the people are asking where is the space for the informal settlements

There was no public participation in developing the Master plan

other projects like expansio of the Mombasa Port will displace many people

Mst eviction target informal settlements

 

[09:24:54] Ben - FRom Kibera and is in Amani Kibera

There is a big highway from Yaya Center to Langata and it is going to displace 2000 familes, 6 schools and 4 Community centers

Resdents through Egesa primary hav egone to court becasue the course of the road was changed to spare the government offices which are located on the road. They now want to evict the people

The Nubian community is going to be affected

a demosntartion was held to ask why the road is bein gdiverted to displace the community

as we speak the beaconing has been done and there is a lot of intimidation by youths placing beacons and some community members have started to move ans the local admin is intimidating the people

Many will loose proerty and llives shd the process go on

There is a hering on 25 April

 

[09:41:21] Leah - was detained for one year and cased for 5 years for fighting against eviction

- Athi water, want to construct a water pipeline hence threats of eviction in Kibagare

About 3500 household are affected

the pipeline has been redirected from the original route

recently a meeting was held to ask the pople to leave. the meeting was held by the DC asking the people to accept the water as it will help the people.

the people have refused

an old woman says that she settled in 1969, Moi and Kibaki (Former Presidents) said that the place should not be demolished

The people want to be given land titles

[09:45:17] *** Mike invited  Soha ***

[09:45:25] *** Mike invited  peter ***

 

Leah - The Cheifs, DO and community leaders are bribed to accept demolitions. Leah has been warned to stop anti eviction and attacked in the morning by goons

Cased for 5 years and is not willing to to stop fighting for the people Kibagare

They have been gven one month to decide

The water route is being redirected as the original route s affecting the rich n Loresho

  

[09:49:31] Dick - From Migori County in Western Kenya

a case from Kabuto in nyatike

Displacements due to natural calamities the flooding of Rivers Migori and Kuja

Over 250 families suffer annually since independence

Th eresidents hav ebeen suffering and the government does nothin

In 2004 BLM helped organized the people so that they can be helped

The county government has planned to build Gabbions

SONY sugar and Kenyatta famili in 1978 were forcefully evicted to pave way for sugar plantations

Have been havng meetings and there is a case in the court of law.

Angaga due to ethnic clashes between Maasai and Luos around 200 families were evicted forcefully from their land and people lost theor livelihoods

Have been having consultations among the warring communities. Few families have resettled but some have not gone back

 

[09:54:43] Kubwayo - Solidarity Campaign from Burundi

Burundi has a high population density. The wars in Burundi since 1972 have displaced many people

extension: (now leaving to work ... will read later - and will "come" tomorrow morning )

when people hav e moved the government has always grabbed the houses and alocated to cronies

The multiple evictions without resettlement has led to conflicts

 

[10:02:39] Tom - in 1995 in Kibera due to the railway line there was an enumeration for compensation but fund was not available until 2010. A new enumeration was done and those who were present were to be compensated

 throughout the period people have been moving in and out. In 2014 the govt refused to do an enumeration and people demanded a new enumeration ot include those who had come in

Agreement was that free spaces were to be built first but interests increased and those whose names were in the register had their names disappeared

800 people moved t court to represent about 10000 resident but lost the case as the files disappeared

some new people have been allocated but were not in the register, old people whose neames were in the register have not been allocated

People fear local thugs who have been hired to intimidate people and many are afraid even to meet to plan. Efforts are still being put in place

 

Meeting continuing all day and the next also with a field visit in Kibera

 

 

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