Kenya: Legislation urgently required to halt devastating forced evictions | Amnesty International
Kenya: Legislation urgently required to halt devastating forced evictions | Amnesty International:
The Kenyan government must put an immediate end to mass evictions until legal safeguards are put in place to protect the human rights of the thousands of residents living in slums and informal settlements who are affected, said Amnesty International.
“Nearly half of Nairobi’s population live in slums and many are at risk of forced evictions which not only often make people homeless, but also involve violence and lead to loss of access to services such as water and sanitation as well as livelihoods, education and healthcare”, said Iain Byrne, head of Amnesty International’s Economic, Social and Cultural Rights team.
“Forced evictions devastate lives and need to be outlawed.”
To mark World Habitat Day, a new report by Amnesty International We are like rubbish in this country details the realities of living in Nairobi’s slums and the impact of forced evictions, focusing on two informal settlements – Deep Sea and City Carton.
In City Carton, near Wilson airport, the homes of 400 families were demolished in May 2013 by groups of men armed with hammers, crowbars and machetes. Police present at the scene used teargas and live ammunition during the demolition.
