Court stops Makongeni evictions, demolitions

The Environment and Land Court on Monday issued orders stopping ongoing evictions and demolitions in Makongeni Estate pending hearing and determination.

The court has also ordered the immediate restoration of water and electricity to thousands of affected residents.

Justice Charles Mbogo also certified the application filed by six petitioners as urgent.

The judge directed that the respondents among them the Kenya Railways Staff Retirement Benefits Scheme restore essential services to the estate and cease any further evictions or demolitions until the matter is heard and determined.

In the directions issued , the court ordered the petitioners to serve the respondents with the application by the close of business on November 25, 2025.

The respondents were given five days from the date of service to file their replies.

The matter will be heard inter parties on December 4, alongside a related application dated November 19, 2025.

The petitioners, including individual residents and the Makongeni Residents’ Association, moved to court after what they described as “violent and inhumane” night-time evictions conducted over the weekend.

In their application, they claim officers from the Scheme, accompanied by hired goons, stormed the estate on the night of Friday, November 21, 2025 and forcefully removed residents without notice.

They further allege that electricity and water were deliberately cut off to the entire estate to facilitate the evictions, leaving an estimated 8,000 households , roughly 35,000 people without essential services.

Vulnerable groups, including children, the elderly, single mothers and persons with disabilities, were reportedly placed at severe risk.

The application also alleges cases of sexual assault against women and girls during the eviction operation, which is said to have continued through the night and over the weekend, days before the earlier announced eviction date of November 27, 2025.

The petitioners argued that unless the court intervenes, thousands of families face immediate homelessness and irreversible harm to their rights to housing, human dignity, education, food and fair administrative action.

“Take notice that any disobedience or non-observance of the order of the court served herewith will result in penal consequences to you and any other person(s) disobeying and not observing the same,” said the court.

The petitioners have sued the Kenya Railways Staff Retirement Benefits Scheme, the State Department for Housing and Urban Development and the Affordable Housing Board.

The temporary suspension deals a setback to the planned redevelopment, which involves the demolition of old housing units to pave the way for modern, high-density affordable housing blocks.

The State has maintained that the project is part of efforts to address the urban housing deficit, but affected families insist that the approach taken violates their constitutional safeguards.

Earlier on Monday morning, it was a beehive of activity as residents of Makongeni Estate in Nairobi rushed to salvage their property.

The residents had been given notice by the government to vacate the houses to pave the way for the affordable housing project.

They were given until December 2 to vacate the houses.

Several residents were seen trying their best to get their property out of the houses as bulldozers descended in the area to pull down the houses.

Some were packing their property in pickups, handcarts and lorries as they moved out to have a fresh start.

The government said most of the residents have since been given their compensation of Sh150,000 to move and seek alternative accommodation.

The residents have, however, been assured by the government that they will be given priority during allocation once the project is complete.

Some of the residents have lived in the area for more than six decades.