Amnesty International is urging Kenya’s authorities to stop plans to forcibly evict more than 50,000 men, Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights and Children's rights who are living alongside the country’s railway lines, mainly in and around Nairobi.

Most of the residents – who live in shanty towns – were told via notices placed in newspapers by the state-owned rail company – Kenya Railways – that they face prosecution unless they tore down their shacks and left within 30 days. 



An eviction on such a large scale is likely to involve excessive use of force carried out by police or others.

Amnesty International Kenya’s Director, Justus Nyang’aya said:

“People have been living and working on these lands for years and a 30-day notice period is wholly inadequate. Without proper safeguards the proposed mass evictions will have a devastating impact on people’s access to water, sanitation, food and schools and could well create a humanitarian emergency.”

To date no comprehensive resettlement or compensation plan has been announced and the government appears to have made no provision for those who will lose their homes, livelihoods, possessions and social networks as a result of the project.

International human rights law makes it clear that evictions should only be carried out as a last resort and only after all other feasible alternatives to eviction have been explored in genuine consultation with affected communities.

Justus Nyang’aya continued:

“Kenya’s government is failing to deliver on its promise to put in place guidelines which comply with international human rights law regarding evictions and until it does it should halt all mass evictions of this nature. To put 50,000 of your poorest and most vulnerable citizens at risk of homelessness is unacceptable.”

Amnesty is encouraging its worldwide supporters to write to the Kenyan authorities and Kenya Railway Corporation to urge them to stop the plans for the planned forced eviction.

• Find out more about our work on forced evictions
• Act now - email the Kenyan authorities to stop the eviction /li>