Kenya Church leaders protest slum demolitions

Nairobi, Mar. 01, 2004 (CWNews.com) - The Archbishop of Nairobi led an interdenominational service at one of Africa's largest slums today, as residents joined in prayer and political action to save their homes. Archbishop Raphael Ndingi Mwana a'Nzeki encouraged the hundreds of slum residents to maintain their peaceful approach, although they are threatened with eviction as the Kenyan government carries out plans to demolish homes built under power lines or near roads and railroads. "What we need is peace, unity, and development, not demolition," the archbishop said.

The government has temporarily suspended plans for the demolition campaign, after a stream of protests from religious and human-rights groups. Archbishop Ndingi said that the Church would cooperate with any government plan to resettle the slum dwellers, but insisted that new homes should be found before their current dwellings are destroyed. He was joined in his public stance by Rev. William Waqo, the provincial secretary for the Anglican Church in Kenya. "The demolitions are leaving people homeless," the Anglican cleric explained.

The Church leaders joined with residents at Kibera, a huge slum near Nairobi that is the target of a massive demolition campaign. Church officials believe that the campaign, if carried out according to current plans, would leave thousands of people homeless and endanger the health and security of those living in the adjacent slum areas, where the homeless families would be forced to look for new quarters.