How businesses suffered during Maandamano in Kibera

Kibera is said to be the largest slum in Africa in terms of area it covers and the population that calls it a home. Another unique thing about Kibera is its location. While many slums are found some quite long distances away from the CBD and other high-end estates, Kibera is exact opposite.

It is located in an area so close to town center such that some of the residents can even walk to town by foot. From Kibera to town is an estimated distance of 6km. Kibera also borders lavish estates such as Kilimani, Karen and some parts of Westland and Mbaagathi.

It is expected that such a place so close to CBD and surrounded by such estates would be a little developed and free from vices such as insecurities and poverty but that is not the case and one of the opinion leaders in Kibera and businessman Tom Semelang’o has an answer to this.

According to him, there is a conspiracy by State to abandon Kibera over the frequent demonstrations in the area occasioned by election results. He explained that this was witnessed in the recent nationwide demos called by opposition over increasing high cost of living.

“It was a conspiracy by the State agents to abandon Kibera residents over maandamano protests as non Christian youths were armed by known senior politicians allied to UDA Party in a bid to counter and scuttle the peacefull protests,” said Tom Semelang’o.

He went ahead to give full details over Kibera and his reasons for believing that the state of Kibera is a choice by the elite political class to ‘punish’ those they feel are siding with Mr. Odinga politically.

Below is the full story as told by Tom Semelang’o;

” Today Kibera is the largest informal settlement in Africa with a population of approximately 1.5M persons. It stands 6kms about 4miles from the city center. Over 60 years now the Government does not seem to acknowledge the settlement therefore no basic services such as Electricity, running water, schools, clinics, and security are provided except a few.

A story of fears, day and night fires, burglary, murders and hunger as maandamano (protests) intensified in Nairobi.” With its epicenter in Kibera. Telling this out will throw my life and that of my entire family into danger, no one dares talk about these atrocities” this regime is getting very oppressive, human life means less, come down to the communities and see how people are suffering. I’m from Kibera, people here we do not afford even one meal a day with children going to schools on empty stomachs, in this day and age, the only place within a city where medical services is a privilege for the 5% like me. In Kibera, our water pipes deliberately mix with sewer, its upon you to boil the water or drink it as is or give it time to settle. This is the grim picture of whom the government wants to tax more to finance its luxury lifestyle.

It is widely believed that Kibera is the political tuff of Raila Odinga the long time opposition figure in Kenya. Whenever there is anything affecting Raila Odinga Kibera erupts furious and fast. Therefore Kibera is watched more closely by the government and security agents for it being cental opposition strong hold and for its closeness to central business district and the Statehouse. When Maandamano was called, the President and his agents had a “plan”, a plan to contain Kibera “within” without the use of armed policemen because of previous cries by human rights bodies. The protests were very lethal in Kibera and other parts of Nairobi, all schools, commuter services and business operations were suspended indefinitely.

The reasons for the protests were the high cost of living, increased taxes, stolen elections and the increasing cost of essential commodities like fuel. In Kibera Anti-protest youths mostly non christians were armed by known political figures so it could look like its a religious war or the residents are fighting among themselves. In the process, churches, businesses, open air markets and homes were torched. Roads were barricaded with bonfires, Vehicles stoned and torched. Media men were being stoned and robbed off their cameras by both pro and anti protest youths therefore no one was covering this. Any use of phone for pictures was either not permitted by the charged up youths.

All the police including the few who are often stationed in Kibera were all suprisingly unavailable. As things started to ran out of hand, and as the chairman of the business community we took up weapons to defend our businesses from mobs who were looting and torching premises. But we still lost anyway, we were over powered when darkness set-in on the last day of the protests. Our investments of millions of Kenya shillings was going under the smoke as we watched. What I noticed was that we were on our own.

Kenya is headed to the dogs, I sympathise with the small children, women and the old people living under the poverty line. The Government has completely lost track of its citizens needs as things stand.”