Looking at the ongoing saga of Syokimau and other affected areas where Kenyans are systematically being rendered homeless, It is difficult to not say, 'you thought you were safe, now it's your turn!'
This is so because after nearly five years now, other Kenyans of slightly different pedigree have been living under tents and other makeshift structures after they were rendered homeless by political thugs now sitting in Parliament through their agents and hired hooligans.
Our national psyche and conscience has been so numbed to feel pity and pain for such actions that no one really remembers that we still have IDPs, squatters, people in the sprawling slums living in inhuman conditions-who need 'a final solution', as far as land for permanent settlement and shelter is concerned. We should never forget that there are children, the aged and invalids in those camps and all these, through no fault of their own like acquiring illegal land, have been made homeless by our own intolerance and individual/communal greed.
While we question the honesty of such institutions as the Airport Authority who watched as a modern housing estate was constructed 'on their land' only to suddenly wake up as if from a stupor and commence demolitions, We need to remember that such actions/behaviours have in the past resulted in the calamities that we have witnessed like the recent fire in Sinai, the not so distant past fire in Athi River, the deadly train accidents in Kibera….etc. In all these incidents, land reserved for public utility corporations has been encroached on by unscrupulous settlers with the full knowledge of the corporations and no action taken until the gross loss of life after the accidents. Then our political consciousness makes pilgrimages to the sites to mourn and promise government assistance. They also shed a crocodilian tear or two in the process, hoping that it will be remembered come next voting season.
How come no one ever gets to be prosecuted for all these wrong doings or is there no relevant jurisprudence or statute infringed in all these activities? If the acquisition of the land in Syokimau was illegal, whoever received monies for the transfers surely needs to be put on the stand? Whoever produced the fake title deeds surely needs to state how they were obtained? Whoever was responsible for enforcing the airpot authority boundaries ought to state what was happening when the houses were being constructed! How come our air force base in Nairobi was swamped in by illegal constructions-what happened to national security for heaven's sake? Many heads need to be rolling.
In the spirit of the new constitution, let us put to test our resolve to rope in runaway corruption and impunity. Let us follow our laws to the letter and spirit and in so doing extract the cancer of corruption from our system for ever.
