From the Peoples Parliament, Kenya:

THE SITUATION IS MORE GRAVE, THE GREEN JEEVANJEE GARDENS PARK IS NOW
BEING REPLACED BY A CONCRETE WALL UNDER THE SUPERVISION AND FUNDING
OF UN HABITAT UNDER THE GUISE OF 'SAFER CITIES' INITIATIVE

As we speak, it is becoming clear why the members of people's parliament
were roughed up, beaten, arrested and are being illegally detained at
Central police station.

As early as 8am this morning, 4 trucks of city council workers were
taken to Jeevanjee Gardens where they are putting up a concrete
perimeter wall and making
arrangements that will see the only public patch of greenery inside the
city of Nairobi
converted into a
concrete jungle, complete with half the park being converted into, of
all things, a
public bus park!

Jeevanjee Gardens is under attack again; this time by the City Council
of Nairobi and UN
HABITAT under the guise of the Safer cities Initiatives. People's
Parliament is on record
opposing the conversion of Jeevanjee Gardens into a public bus park
and a concrete park
where members of the public will no longer be able to enjoy the green
grass and the
serenity of the many trees amidst the concrete jungle. Many members of
the public,
including People's Parliament voiced their opposition in many meetings
last year and
wrote to UN HABITAT opposing the grabbing of the public space and
conversion of the same
for purposes other than those that it was intended for when the land
was granted to the
people of the city of Nairobi by Mr. Jeevanjee.

If the Nairobi City Council and UN HABITAT succeed in tearing the park
apart, the city
will have lost one of its gems, forever. The park is a resting place
for the tired and
weary, a playing ground for children especially during the weekend,
and an excellent
place to unwind or pass a lunch hour for those who cannot afford to
buy lunch. For
People's Parliament it is a meeting place with a long record of
successful social,
political and economic action, an irreplaceable platform where
ordinary Kenyans from all
walks of life, all tribes, all economic and social strata meet and
interact. It is where
members socialize and revitalize, plan for action and conduct civic
education. It is
priceless. If it is lost, it will never be regained.

Apparently, the move to arrest members of people's parliament, besides
being part of an
effort to permanently eliminate the movement, is also calculated to
intimidate the
members so that they do not resist the designs of the city fathers
aimed at grabbing the
space.

We now need urgent action to intercede on our behalf and have UN
HABITAT and the NCC
stopped from ruining the park that has survived for almost 100 years
as a welcome patch
of green in the middle of the city. It is a shame that UN HABITAT,
the agency created to
ensure that cities develop without putting residents in jeopardy and
the agency we should
be calling on for support is the one funding the initiative aimed at
destroying the park!

Please, urgently write email and faxes demanding the immediate halting
of the wall and at
the same time demand that UN HABITAT stop the process that has been
going on largely
behind the backs of the residents and without their consent. Please
demand that any
prospective changes be subject to public debates that are more
inclusive and about which
the public is duly informed and included in.
Write all letters to the attention of the following persons who are
responsible for the
ongoing problems in addition to the others named in the earlier message:

MRS HELEN TAbAIJUKA
UNITED NATIONS HUMAN SETTLEMENT PROGRAMME (UN HABITAT)
Fax: +254 20 762 39 19
Fax: + 254 20 762 43 25
Email:  execdir.habitat@unhabitat.org
Tel: + 254 20 762 12 34

and:

MR. JOHN GAKUO, TOWN CLERK
NAIROBI CITY COUNCIL
MINISTRY OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT
FAX: +254 20 337 960
TEL: + 254 20 21 74 75

and:

DIRECTOR , URBAN DEVELOPMENT
FAX: +254 20 337 960
TEL: +254 20 340 972


INFORMATION ABOUT THE ARRESTED MEMBERS OF PEOPLE'S PARLIAMENT


It's 11:30AM, approximately 20 hours since the arrest of 56 members of
people's
parliament from the Jeevanjee Gardens yesterday. The current situation
is as follows:

Of the 56 arrested members, 32 members are still in custody. The
others have been granted
bail. Of concern is the condition of 5 members who were injured during
the arrest,
especially of one of the members who is said to have been badly
injured and unconscious
for more than 30 minutes and is still in custody.

Activists are still camped at the police station waiting to see the
people in custody. By
the time of this email no person has been seen, although there is
presently a heavy
presence of police both within and outside Jeevanjee Gardens.

Please work as fast as you can. In our experience, the town clerk
ordinarily needs only
one or two days to do irreversible damage. Action must be taken today
if any positive
results are to be realized.

We urgently need people to do the following:

1. Contact the Kenyan Embassy in your country and demand for the
immediate release of all members of Bunge la Mwananchi(People's
Parliament) who were arrested at the Jeevanjee Gardens today 10th,March
2007, 32 of whom are currently still being illegally detained at the
Central Police Station in Nairobi

2. Demand the arrest of the City Council officers who were responsible
for beating and injuring 5 members of People's Parliament.

3. Demand that the government of Kenya stops, with immediate effect, the
concerted effort to harrass members of People's Parliament.

4. Contact your own government and demand that your government stops
supporting the Kenyan government. Your taxes should not be used to aid
in the harrassment of poor Kenyans by a government that is so afraid to
lose
the election that it no longer tolerates discussions amongst the
citizens!

5. Send faxes and email in solidarity to the following offices:

HON. Mwai Kibaki, The president of Kenya
Email:  president@statehousekenya.go.ke

HON. MUSIKARI KOMBO, Minister, Local government
TEl:+ 254 20 217475
FAX: +254 20 337 960
(Responsible for the City Council officers)

BRIGADIER HUSSEIN ALI, Commissioner of Police
Tel: +254 20 341411

The Nation Media Group (local media)
Fax: +254 20 213 946

The Standard Group(local media)
+254 20 213108
Email:  editorial@eastandard.net

We thank you all for your continued support! Aluta Continua!

For and on Behalf of People's Parliament:

WANGUI MBATIA: (+254 722 74 75 75), + 254 20 204 0192
 tfosa@swiftkenya.com
P. O. Box 22708-00100
NAIROBI, KENYA
HASSAN INDUSA (+254 723 489 463),
WAMBUGU MWAI (+254 733 248 301)
TERRENCE NJOROGE (+254 727 881 926)

KENYAN EMBASSY UK

Kenyan High Commission
45 Portland Place, London W1N 4AS
TEL: 020 7636 2371/5 FAX: 020 7323 6717

KENYAN EMBASSY USA
 public.diplomacy@kenyaembassy.com
 NewyorkConsulate@KenyaEmbassy.com
 Losangeles@KenyaEmbassy.com
 Hoc@KenyaEmbassy.com

Telephone:
(202) 387-6101
Fax:
(202) 462-3829
Mailing Address:
Embassy of the Republic of Kenya
2249 R Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008 U.S.A.

ITALY
Embassy of the Republic of Kenya,
Via Archimede, 164,
00197, Rome. Italy
Tel.: (+39) 06-8082717/8
Fax: (+39) 06-8082707
 info@embassyofkenya.it

Netherlands

Embassy of Kenya in the Hague, Netherlands
21 Nieuwe Parklaan
2597 LA The Hague
The Netherlands
City: the Hague
Phone: (+31)70- 3504215
 kenya-net@iwwn.com.na