Kenyan Social Movement Meeting Space Being Demolished
Support Grassroots Social Movements! | 11.03.2007 10:46
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
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
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
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
Support Grassroots Social Movements!
Comments
Hide the following comment
NO VOX appeal
13.03.2007 12:07
Jeevanjee Gardens January 2007
Jeevanjee Gardens January 2007
Birds at Jeevanjee
Stop harassment, repression and police’s violences against the social movement in Nairobi (Kenya) !
Stop harassment, repression and police’s violences against the social movement in Nairobi (Kenya) !
27 members of People’s Parliament (Bunge la Mwananchi) are in custody charged with « obstruction of Justice » and « malicious damage to property » – 5 wounde, 3 hospitalized – Right to assemble denied.
Saturday 10 march 2007 in the afternoon, 56 members of People’s Parliament (a Kenyan people’s initiative) were beaten and arrested in Jeveejanjee’s Gardens by numerous police forces. 5 of them were wounded, three more seriously. One of them at least was only transferred to hospital more than 24 hours later.
For the last 15 years the People’s Parliament has been meeting everyday at the park to discuss social issues, including from the point of views of the poorest, in a country suffering intolerable social inequalities.
People’s Parliament became worlwide famous for their commitement to free access for Kenyan peoples to the recent World Social Forum in Nairobi.
In the weeks following the WSF, two PP’s members had been arrested and finally released. There was a real fear that the government of M. MWAI KIBAKI would put pression against opposition in the perspective of forthcoming presidential pool next december.
On Monday 12, 27 PP’s members were arraigned in court (exception of three of them who are at the hospital) and charged with obstruction of justice and malicious damage. They are now in custody and can’t afford a 3 000 KS (43 USD) bond to be released.
In the same time, on Sunday 11 which is public holiday, the Nairobi City Council closed public access to Jeevenjee’s Gardens and engaged into public works. These public works are supposed to be part of a « revitalization project » for Jeevanjee’s Gardens supported by UN-HABITAT under the guise of the Safer cities Initiative.
The NO-VOX network is supporting People’s Parliament and condemns strongly the acts of repression againts its members. We demand :
— Immediate release of all prisonners and withdrawal of charges ;
— Immediate arraignment of the Nairobi City Council Officers who were responsible for beating and injuring 5 members of People's Parliament ;
— That the Kenyan government puts immediately an end to the concerted effort to harrass members of People's Parliament and guarantees constitutionnal rights and particulary Right to assemble ;
— Immediate cease of the public works at Jeevanjee’s Gardens and United Nations pressure on the Nairobi City Council in that direction ;
— Immediate clarification of the UN-Habitat Jeevanjee’s
revitalization’s project, which is supposed to be the result of a « participatory process » which is still to be implemented.
SEND URGENTLY YOUR FAX TO
• HON. MUSIKARI KOMBO, Minister, Local government - FAX: +254 20 337 960
and :
First signatures : IPAM Network – Initiatives For Another World, No-Vox network, APEIS – movement for unemployement, information and solidarity , AC ! – Action against Unemployement, DAL – Right to Housing, CDSL - Local Movement of homeless, Center for Encounter and active Non-Violence (Austria), Global Watch Paris, Habitat International Coalition, Right to Peasants, Dd !! - Front of Rights !!, The Rage of People, National Confederation of Work (CNT-FRance), Union syndicale G10 Solidaires,
SEND YOUR SIGNATURES UNTIL THE 15th OF MARCH, AT 12am TO:
NO VOX