Closed city rehab centre sits on grabbed land, says Sonko

Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has defended the move to close down Eden House Rehabilitation Centre and repossess the land, saying the facility was sitting on grabbed land.

Mr Sonko said the proprietors of the centre had been issued with fake allotment letters prepared by a group of cartels allegedly led by senior county officials who were suspended by his administration over corruption claims.

“In the meantime, we have already cancelled the fake allotment letters that were fraudulently prepared by a group of cartels led by our former senior officers and businessmen,” said Mr Sonko Monday.

He said apart from the centre, there were other public utilities grabbed within City Park, citing a borehole which used to serve the residents of Parklands and Westlands, a five-acre flower farm valued at Sh4.5 billion and part of the market which he blamed on unnamed businessmen.

FAKE TITLES

“We have repossessed all the public amenities that had been grabbed in this place by a powerful cartel that has also issued a fake title deed for part of the market,” he said.

On Friday, the county’s officials from the Environment department raided the centre and closed it down with orders from the governor who directed the NGO to look for an alternative place.

The centre’s directors on Saturday wrote to Mr Sonko for intervention, saying they were evicted from the centre which they were using to rehabilitate drug addicts and the homeless without notice yet they paid Sh70,000 as rent for every month.

Executive director Boniface Njoroge said the move would affect more than 15 people who were being housed at the centre, affecting their recovery.

OFFERED HELP

In his response, Mr Sonko said the NGO was doing a good job of rehabilitating drug addicts, but the only concern was that the centre sat on grabbed public land.

However, the governor offered the directors money to help them resettle.

“I am offering Sh300,000 to the directors of Eden Rehab to look for an alternative place to rent so as to continue with the good work they are doing for the society,” said Mr Sonko.