Democracy for Residents (DCP) Celebration chief Rigathi Gachagua has sharply criticized the continued Nairobi River regeneration mission, accusing the federal government of “selective justice” in its demolition of buildings alongside the riparian land.
Talking throughout an interview on Kameme TV on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, the previous deputy president argued that whereas the houses of the poor are being flattened, luxurious accommodations and high-end residences in prosperous neighborhoods stay untouched.
“If you look at the Nairobi River, only those who do not have are the targets. If this demolition exercise is of honesty and truthfulness, why didn’t they start from Lavington, then Kileleshwa, because there are homes and hotels built almost on the river by the mighty ones?” Gachagua posed.
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Gachagua has referred to as for the federal government to be “sincere” by beginning its enforcement in Lavington, arguing that the legislation ought to apply to the wealthy simply as strictly because it does to the poor. He contends that focusing on solely low-income areas undermines the complete environmental objective of the mission.
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“But it is only those who are poor are being targeted. If this government of President William Ruto is sincere, let it begin from Lavington,” Gachagua acknowledged.
Gikomba market and surrounding areas marked for demolition
To help his level, he pointed to the legacy of the late John Michuki, who famously led the primary main cleanup of the Nairobi River in 2008.
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“The late Michuki, who came from Kangema, made Michuki Park, cleaned the river, and made a garden where people go to rest up-to-date,” Gachagua stated.
This native unrest follows a significant protest at Gikomba Market on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. Merchants clashed with authorities officers after being issued relocation notices tied to the Nairobi River Restoration Venture.
The standoff started when a multi-agency staff arrived to survey a proposed “decanting” web site – a short lived relocation space meant to accommodate distributors whereas the riverbank is cleared and fashionable stalls are constructed. Nonetheless, long-term distributors pushed again, claiming that the federal government has stored them at the hours of darkness all through the method and shut them out of any significant planning discussions.
