URGENT ACTION

THREE THOUSAND FORCIBLY EVICTED IN KENYA

Approximately 3,000 people have been forcibly evicted from their homes in Githogoro village, in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. The evictions were carried out without adequate notice or any consultation with the affected people. Many have been left without shelter, some living in the rubble of their former homes, and without access to clean water, sanitation and health care.

An estimated 3,000 people from about 100 households were forcibly evicted from their homes in the village of Githogoro, near Runda, Nairobi, on and around 22 July. Some of those evicted have left the settlement to seek alternative accommodation and others are camped outside a church next to the settlement. However, many, including women and children, have been left with no option but to stay in the rubble of their former homes. They are sleeping in the open, exposed to the cold and rain of Kenya’s winter.

The government of Kenya is providing no aid or emergency assistance to any of the victims. According to eyewitnesses, communal toilets were destroyed in the evictions, increasing the risk of the spread of disease among the remaining residents. They have inadequate access to clean water, sanitation and healthcare.

The evictions were carried out by police and took place without adequate notice or any consultation with those affected. Reports indicate that residents were given 72 hours to tear down their homes or police threatened that bulldozers, waiting on the edge of the settlement, would come in and destroy the structures. Many have been living in the settlement since its establishment in the 1960s. The evictions appear to have been carried out as part of the Kenyan government's plans to build a new road in Nairobi.

PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY in English or your own language, calling on the Kenyan government to:

• Provide immediate aid and assistance to all those forcibly evicted from their homes in Githogoro village, Nairobi;

• Ensure that all those affected have access to affordable alternative housing and basic services, including clean water, adequate sanitation, and access to local health care;

• Immediately cease all forced evictions and ensure that those affected have access to emergency shelter and other humanitarian aid;

• Stop forced evictions, and develop and adopt guidelines for evictions which comply with international human rights law;

• Ensure genuine consultation with communities facing eviction to identify all feasible alternatives, put in place appropriate procedural and legal safeguards, and develop a comprehensive relocation and compensation plan.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 08 SEPTEMBER 2009 TO: