Protests broke out on Thursday morning in Nairobi’s Umoja 2 Estate after angry residents, most of them local traders, took to the streets to oppose what they described as an attempt by a foreign developer to grab their community market land.
The demonstrations brought parts of the estate to a standstill, with residents lighting bonfires and blocking several feeder roads that link the area to Kangundo Road.
The demonstrators, who carried placards and branches, said they were fighting to protect a piece of land that has served as their community market for many years.
According to the traders, the land in question is public property under the Nairobi County government, and any effort to take it away threatens their livelihoods and the stability of the entire community.
They accused the private developer of making several attempts to take over the land even though the matter is still being handled in court.
The residents expressed frustration, saying the developer has been pushing to occupy the land without offering any valid explanation or showing respect for the ongoing legal process.
During the protests, the residents called on Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja and Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna to urgently step in and defend the community from what they believe is an unlawful land takeover.
They insisted that county leadership must intervene before the situation worsens and before hundreds of traders lose their only source of income.
“We are crying out because our rights as Umoja 2 residents are being violated. We are simply protecting our market from a foreigner who wants to take what belongs to all of us,” one protester said, expressing the anger shared by many in the crowd.
Another added, “This market was built for the community. How can someone just claim land that people depend on every day?”
The traders warned that if the court were to rule in favour of the developer, more than 300 shops, stores, and stalls would be lost, putting many families at risk and crippling the local economy.
They urged the judiciary to issue a ruling as soon as possible to end the uncertainty that has dragged on for months. They also vowed to continue peaceful demonstrations until justice is served and the community’s voice is heard.
Despite the protests lasting several hours, no police officers were seen at the scene. Many businesses remained closed throughout the morning, and transport around Umoja 2 was heavily disrupted as residents continued to block roads while demanding answers and protection from the authorities.
The residents maintained that they would not stop demonstrating until the future of the market land is secured and the county government assures them that the community will not lose what they strongly believe is rightfully theirs.
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