Gospel artist Lady Bee is one of the Kenyan citizens whose homes have fallen victim to the recent demolitions in Athi River, Machakos County.
The ongoing wave of evictions and demolitions has been unfolding over the last three days on a 4,298-acre parcel of land owned by East African Portland Cement PLC.
Since Friday, October 13, 2023, several multimillion-dollar luxury residences have been razed to the ground following a ruling by the Machakos High Court that deemed the occupation of this land as unlawful.
This sweeping demolition also encompassed the destruction of places of worship and educational institutions situated within the 4,298-acre expanse.
For some residents, the experience was harrowing, as they found themselves spending sleepless nights in the cold, witnessing their homes being reduced to rubble by the relentless bulldozers.
Despite impassioned pleas from the affected residents and community leaders, their calls to halt the demolitions in order to facilitate dialogue have fallen on deaf ears.
A recent court decision handed down on October 9 established the legal ownership of the land to be with EAPC, categorizing those who had settled on it as illegal occupants.
Gospel singer Bernice Mugo, known as Lady Bee, resorted to social media to convey the profound anguish she felt while watching her property being systematically destroyed.
“😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 I cannot thank God enough for salvation because today I could have died 😭😭😭. But I’m here to testify that the joy of the Lord is my strength 💔😭😭😭. Helplessly witnessing the demolition of my property is the most excruciating experience 😭💔. My heart is shattered. Why wasn’t there any prior notice? Why? My condolences to all my neighbors in Athi River, Mavoko County. What happened to us was inhumane, insensitive, devilish, and so unimaginably painful. I’ve never been this broken in the past three days. I couldn’t sleep, and I’ve sacrificed for a better life for five years. Five years of investment crumbled in minutes 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭. But indeed, Jesus can console us, restore us, and grant us peace.
I thank God because He is not a man. Just as Solomon didn’t kill the child with God’s wisdom, why did you allow this to happen to us? To my fellow Kenyans, affordable housing, really? Title revocation, really? I’ve seen my neighbors build their dreams only to see them crumble. All our property has been stolen 😭😭😭😭. But there’s hope. The God who saved me will bring an answer very soon. In Jesus’ precious name, thank you. You’ve done a great job. Mothers are crying tears of joy, children are sleeping outside, celebrating your great work, fathers are crying for the good you’ve done. God bless you abundantly. We are so grateful. Yours faithfully, a fellow Kenyan,” Lady Bee wrote.
