Families exhume their dead buried on SGR route

Residents of Mirisho in Kajiado County woke up to a difficult task of exhuming their loved ones who are buried along the marked out Standard Gauge Railway line.

The residents who had started the gruesome exercise as from early as 6 am on Tuesday told Citizen Digital that the decision to exhume came after a long tussle with the National Lands Commission (NLC) for their compensation which they say they are yet to receive.

“What kind of developments are these that are so painful to the people who are supposed to be smiling?” lamented one of the residents.

According to the resident, NLC had promised to compensate them for the parcels of land and houses that have since been demolished from June 18, 2019 but no payment has been done.

The residents now say that while the government is seemingly in a hurry to complete the SGR phase two by August, they reliased that their plight might not be considered while they need ample time to give their loved ones the respect they deserve.

The affected families now say they have been left with no choice but to take the little they have left and rebury their loved ones somewhere else.

The demolitions and exhumations, according to the commission are to pave way for the completion of phase two of the SGR.

Last week, residents of Nkoroi in Rongai watched in disbelief as their multi-million shilling investments were reduced to rubble as they complained of inhumane evictions.

At least 12 households are not sure of when they will be compensated as NLC officers told them that their parcels of lands are disputed, hence, warranting further investigations and renewed valuations.