Amnesty International: KENYA MUST PROVIDE SHELTER FOR 3,000 FORCIBLY EVICTED IN WINTER 28 July 2009 Three thousand people in Nairobi are now exposed to the cold and rain of Kenya`s winter after they were forcibly evicted from their homes last week. Amnesty International said on Tuesday that Kenya’s government should provide emergency shelter and other humanitarian aid to those evicted. Police told residents of Githogoro Village, Nairobi, they had 72 hours to dismantle their homes before the bulldozers, which were lined up at the edge of the settlement, moved in. The evictions appear to have been carried out as part of the government of Kenya’s plans to build a new road, the Northern Bypass. It`s a disgrace that thousands of men, women and children were evicted without adequate notice or consultation and during the season in which the Kenyan weather is at its worst, said Irene Khan, Amnesty International’s Secretary General. Many families have been living in the settlement for almost fifty years and now have no option but to sleep in the rubble of their homes. Communal toilets were also reported destroyed as part of the forcible evictions, increasing the risk of the spread of disease among the remaining residents who have inadequate access to clean water and other essential services. The Kenyan authorities have a duty of care towards their citizens and should ensure the victims of these forced evictions have access to shelter, clean water and other essential services, said Irene Khan. Kenya`s government is failing to deliver on its promise to comply with international human rights law regarding evictions and until it does, there should be an immediate end to all forced evictions. Since the establishment of the very first informal settlements in Kenya, large-scale forced evictions have regularly occurred in a manner that contravenes international human rights standards. In a report released in June 2009 Amnesty International identified up to 127,000 people in Nairobi at immediate risk of having their makeshift homes and informal businesses demolished under a government-led plan to clean up the river basin. Through its Demand Dignity campaign, launched in May 2009, Amnesty International is calling on governments globally to take all necessary measures, including the adoption of laws and policies that comply with international human rights law, to prohibit and prevent forced evictions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Article found at: http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/kenya-must-provide-shelter-3000-forcibly-evicted-winter-20090728

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