"They're Erasing Us": Residents Voice Fury Over Nairobi's Latest Housing Redevelopment Plan

The notice arrived without warning. In early June, residents across several informal settlements along the Nairobi River corridor received demolition advisories, giving them 60 days to vacate ahead of what the Nairobi City County describes as a "critical urban renewal initiative." The move has ignited fierce pushback from community organisations and displaced families who say they were never consulted about plans that could affect thousands of households.

In Eastleigh, where rental costs have already skyrocketed to an average of 8,500 shillings monthly for a single room, residents gathered at the Eastleigh Social Hall last week to organise resistance. "We're not against development," said one community mobiliser, speaking on condition of anonymity due to fear of reprisal. "But development that pushes us further out—that's not progress. That's erasure."

The tensions reflect a wider crisis in Nairobi's housing landscape. According to a recent UN-Habitat report, the city has a housing deficit of approximately 200,000 units, yet formal affordable housing projects consistently price out the poorest residents. The average property in sought-after areas like Kilimani now exceeds 15 million shillings, while land values in central business districts have tripled in five years.

The Nairobi County Housing Directorate has maintained that these redevelopment schemes will eventually yield affordable units, but implementation timelines remain vague. Residents from Kibera to Mathare cite previous promises—including the 2015 Integrated Urban Development Master Plan—that failed to materialise tangible benefits for communities.

"They talk about mixed-income housing, about public-private partnerships," explained a Kibera-based housing rights advocate. "But when construction begins, private developers dominate, and units meant for low-income earners vanish into luxury apartments."

The Nairobi City County's latest housing policy framework, unveiled in March 2026, pledges 50,000 affordable units over ten years. However, activists note that "affordable" by official definition—units priced up to 3 million shillings—remains beyond reach for informal settlement residents earning 15,000-25,000 shillings monthly.

Civil society organisations, including the Nairobi Residents Association and Pamoja Trust, are now demanding mandatory community impact assessments before any demolitions proceed. They're also calling for genuine participation mechanisms in planning decisions, pointing to successful models in Dar es Salaam and Kampala where resident committees shaped development outcomes.

As the 60-day clock ticks, the battle over Nairobi's future—and who gets to remain in the city—intensifies.

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