Parklands Developer Resorts To Threats As Fight Against Illegal Construction Continues
A city developer has resorted to using threats and intimidation as a way of bulldozing his way in seeking to have an apartment block he is putting in Parklands area, Nairobi be completed.
The developer operating under Sustainable Development Solutions Limited has on several ocassions reported to have used Nairobi county law enforcers and to an extent National Police service officers to try and coy concerned Taza Lane residents who are up in arms over an illegal construction of a 16-storey apartment being put up in the area that is said to have violated the Nairobi County’s Built Environment and Land Use laws, ignored crucial court orders and has proceeded in putting up the structure on the piece of land that is said to lack the legally required documentation.
The threats on life and intimidation tactics employed by the developer, who is said to be of Somali origin, have seen Taza Lane residents lodge complaints with the National Police Service and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.
Despite protests made by the residents to the Nairobi County Government, National Environmental Managament Authority (NEMA), National Construction Authority (NCA) and the Nairobi County Water and Sanitation Company(NCW&SC) demanding action be taken against the said director and those behind the illegalities and irregularities, the developer who is also the owner of the developing company has been heard saying what the residents are doing is just “noise” and nothing can be made to have them stop the construction.
An escalation of threats to residents is what prompted one of them, Alfred Ndambiri, to report to both Parklands and Gigiri Police Stations and have statements taken. The threats made by one Yusuf Asker Mohamed a director/developer of Ameey Homes operating under SDS, in an audio clip that has since gone viral on social media is heard saying unprintable words towards the resident saying “umekanyaga wire mbaya sana” loosely translated to mean he is treading on dangerous grounds.
Documents in our possession which is said to be in possession of the police and DCI, on November 3 last year, around 2130hrs and 2345hrs, the resident notes two vehicles pulled up on the driveway and parked on the entrance of the subject property. “I could identify one of the vehicles as a BMW X6 owned by Yusuf followed later by a county government vehicle (reg. 47CG205A) followed by a group of people who later on queried by my son who was awake around that time did not revealed the intentions of their visit and my son failed to open the gate for them”, said a concerned resident, Alfred Ndambiri.
A Nairobi Member of County Assembly for Eastleigh’s Airbase ward Faud Hussein is also alleged to have issued threats to the residents saying “he will not allow them to frustrate the ongoing projects(around City Park drive) and there is nobody who can stop them from doing what they want”.
Another lobby group, Legal Trust Fund led by activist Daniel Ngoli, is in the process of collecting evidence on similar constructions deemed illegal in Westlands area such as one conducted by Ameey Homes Limited along Taza Lane, to be used in a suit against the developers.
Ngoli, a resident, has also alerted members of the public especially professionals and suppliers of building materials that they too will be held liable for aiding and abetting commission of illegalities in the construction sector.
