On Wednesday, there was drama in Nairobi after Bishop Margaret Wanjiru’s church was demolished by unknown people.
The former Nairobi gubernatorial candidate cried betrayal by the regime, having been a big supporter of President Ruto and UDA in the last general election.
“I wasn’t campaigning to be repaid like this. Sadly, this is the government that we campaigned for. I am yet to believe that they can do this to me. I am the one who sold UDA in Nairobi,” she told reporters.
Bishop Wanjiru claimed that she was attacked, with dramatic photos of her in a hospital going viral.
This is not the first time an attempt has been made to demolish the church. Last month, an ongoing wedding ceremony forced another group of people to abandon their plan to demolish it.
The land on which the church stands on has been contested for many years, with allegations that it was grabbed from Kenya Railways.
Hers is not the only church alleged to be built on Railway lands. Another famous pastor, James Ng’ang’a, may soon be on the chopping board as the government seeks to redevelop the entire area.
Pastor Ng’ang’a has also been fighting an eviction notice from Railways for several years.
In 2020, he received a letter stating, “You are hereby requested to surrender all documents relating to the irregular allocation of the above-referenced property to the corporation.
“Historical records in our possession indicate that the land bound by Haile Selassie Avenue, Uhuru Highway and Bunyala Road in which various railway infrastructure are contained was reserved for railway use.
“It has, however, been established that new grants on portions of the land were issued by the Commissioner of Lands in around 1994 without the consent of the corporation.”
Last year, President Ruto officiated the groundbreaking of Nairobi’s Railway City, a project that is expected to change the face of the Haile Selasie area, and modernize Nairobi’s railway commuter connectivity.
The UK funded project is expected to cover 425 acres of Railway land, part of which the two televangelist churches are reportedly built. The project is expected to cover the areas between Haile Sellasie Avenue, Uhuru Highway, Landhies Road and Bunyala Road, essentially creating a new business district for the city.
However, since the groundbreaking that was graced by UK Foreign Minister James Cleverly, there has been no progress, and no word on why it stalled.
Just a day before Bishop Wanjiru’s church was demolished, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, who is overseeing the project, met with British High Commissioner to Kenya Neil Wigan, to discuss ways in which the project can be expedited.
Had the honor of hosting Neil Wigan OBE, the British High Commissioner to Kenya, at the Railways HQ offices.
We discussed the modalities for expediting the Nairobi Railway City Project, a flagship Green Investment project showcasing the robust development cooperation between… pic.twitter.com/Wcj7cZPG9V
— Musalia W Mudavadi (@MusaliaMudavadi) March 5, 2024
If clearing the land has been the reason for the slow progress, perhaps Pastor Ng’ang’a should start getting ready for the same fate.
These are the design renders for the Nairobi Railway City station, which is the central core of the entire project that will also include thousands of new housing, commercial district and a promenade.
