A landlord in Umoja 3 estate on Wednesday removed the roof from a house to force out two teens and their younger siblings over unsettled rent arrears.
According to the siblings, who lost their mother last year, the landlord resorted to remove the roof after their father was unable to raise the three-month rent arrears.
The five siblings narrated to a local news channel how their father had been stranded upcountry since March following the cessation of movement in and out of Nairobi.
One of the siblings, who is a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education exam candidate, said they had been ordered to move out but they had nowhere else to go.
“We live with our dad, my mom passed away last year. As we speak, my dad is stranded in upcountry because of the Nairobi lockdown. The landlord came and ordered us to move out by Saturday but we had nowhere else to go. Today, he came and removed the roof. We tried to talk to him but he refused to listen to us,” said one of the siblings.
A neighbor, who has been helping them out during this tough period, said she had reported the matter to the police and expect the landlord to be charged soon.
She at the same time appealed to well-wishers to help the five siblings.
“The landlord removed the roof because of rent arrears dating back to February. We reported the matter to the police and they said they would come and arrest the landlord if he failed to put the roof back. Right now things are thick and this is a very unfortunate incident. I would just like to appeal to well-wishers to help these kids,” she said.
President Uhuru Kenyatta on April 25 ordered a further 21 days of cessation of movement into and out of Nairobi, Mombasa, Kwale and Kilifi counties to curb the fast spread Covid-19.
