Dozens of locals are spending nights in the cold following an eviction exercise that was conducted by TARDA last weekend.
The locals were said to be residing on the Tana Athi Rivers Development Authority, TARDA land and were issued with a one and half years notice where they were evicted after its expiry.
Following the exercise that affected locals who resided in Kithumuoni, Borrow Pit, Katithini among other areas near Kiambere dam, most residents have since cleared bushes past the cutline where they are now living.
Some who managed to move with some of their households have constructed makeshift structures to live in and are now calling on the government to come to their rescue.
Esther Munyoki, who was evicted from Katithini said they are now sleeping in bushes together with their children.
“We sleep outside despite the dangers of attack from wild animals, our children have no blankets to cover them, the eviction occurred during the rainy season,” narrated Esther.
The mother of nine said the government that is set to protect them has since turned against them and neglected them.
Esther said during the eviction, she did not save anything from her house as her granary was set ablaze by the hired youths who were demolishing their properties.
“We were treated worse than animals. As if demolishing our houses was not enough, they set ablaze our granaries where we had stored food among other items,”
The demolitions also left everything destroyed including iron sheets, timber and anything else that could be of benefit to us,” sad Esther recalled.
She also added that their domestic animals have also disappeared following the commotion.
He also pleaded with the government to allow them to cultivate their shambas for the majority of them solely depend on farming and their farms have since been left unattended.
Paul Nzengu, the area MP who had visited the victims condemned the act citing it inhuman.
Nzengu said the victims of eviction are likely to suffer from water-borne diseases among other illnesses bearing they are sleeping outside during the rainy season.
“I am dismayed by the fact that the government can commit such crime where locals are forcefully evicted and are left to fend for themselves. It is completely unacceptable!” he stated.
Nzengu said the government has the moral authority to find an alternative area for the residents to reside even if temporal.
He also added that the government could have waited a little longer for the rains to stop so as not to subject the victims from such suffering.
The MP who donated beddings and food stuff to the locals said that was a drop in the ocean as the locals are in a very dangerous situation.
He called upon the government to step in and help the residents who are in dire need.
He also complained that Mwingi residents did not receive any developments as part of CSR while in Mbeere, there were infrastructural developments including schools, tarmacking of roads, among others.