Bulldozers and excavators, escorted by a heavy police presence, tore through a cluster of businesses along Douglas Wakihuri Road, just behind Nairobi’s Nyayo Stadium. By dawn, little was left standing. Twisted metal. Crushed cars. Piles of rubble where a car yard, car wash and restaurant had stood hours earlier.
Among the affected properties were businesses linked to Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi, turning what might have been a routine land clearance into a politically charged confrontation now headed for the courts.
Police sealed off parts of the road as contractors worked through the night. By morning, access along sections of Douglas Wakihuri Road was restricted, disrupting movement in the area as business owners and workers surveyed the damage.
Nairobi police commander George Seda said officers were deployed to provide security during the operation, which he said was carried out on behalf of Kenya Railways.
“We were there to support Kenya Railways in repossessing the land,” Seda told reporters. “The management says they notified the owner of the property to vacate, but there was resistance. We came in to help in the demolition.” He added that no injuries were reported.
Officials familiar with the exercise said the clearance was linked to planned works along the railway corridor near the Talanta Stadium project, an area that has seen renewed enforcement in recent months.
The demolitions came at a sensitive moment. Only days earlier, Governor Wamatangi, through a company associated with him, had gone to court seeking orders to stop what he described as threatened demolitions of the same premises.
In a petition filed at the Milimani Commercial Magistrates’ Court, the company argued that the land belongs to Kenya Railways but has been legally leased to it for more than two decades. The filing claims rent was paid and acknowledged throughout that period, creating a valid tenancy.
According to the court papers, representatives said to be acting for Kenya Railways visited the premises in December and issued verbal demands to vacate, without serving a formal eviction notice.
“That action,” the petition argues, “would violate constitutional protections on the right to property and the eviction procedures set out in law.”
The case had been scheduled for hearing on Monday, January 12, 2026. The overnight demolitions now raise fresh questions about the timing of the enforcement and whether due process was followed.
By Wednesday morning, Governor Wamatangi had not issued a formal public statement. However, aides close to him privately suggested the operation may have been politically motivated — an assertion that could not be independently verified at the time of publication.
Kenya Railways has in recent years stepped up efforts to reclaim land along rail corridors, citing safety concerns and infrastructure projects. Those actions have often brought it into conflict with long-standing occupants who say they were never properly notified or compensated.
What remains clear is the human and financial cost. As the sun rose over Nyayo Stadium, affected business owners counted losses amid the debris, while questions over land rights, procedure and power moved from the dust of Douglas Wakihuri Road back into the courtroom.
About the Author
