In a dramatic overnight operation, authorities demolished several business structures linked to Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi near Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi, leaving heavy losses and raising questions over property rights and due process. The exercise, which began late on Tuesday, January 13, involved excavators and bulldozers escorted by a large contingent of armed police officers, including anti-riot units, and continued into the early hours of Wednesday.
The demolition occurred along Douglas Wakiihuru Road, just off Lang’ata Road behind Nyayo Stadium. Business premises affected included a car wash facility, a restaurant, a car yard and other installations owned or linked to Wamatangi’s company, Superclean Shine Enterprises. Several vehicles parked on the premises were also damaged or crushed during the operation.
Videos circulating on social media showed bulldozers tearing down structures while heavily armed police maintained tight control of the scene. Some workers and business attendants were left stranded, with dozens reportedly losing their source of income. Bonfires and debris blocked sections of the road, disrupting movement in the area as local residents and workers looked on.
The demolition comes amid an ongoing legal dispute over the ownership and use of the land, which is said to be owned by Kenya Railways Corporation and leased to Wamatangi’s company for more than 20 years. In a petition filed at the Milimani Commercial Magistrates’ Court, the governor argued that he had regularly paid rent and operated lawfully, and that verbal notices to vacate fell short of legal requirements for eviction.
The court matter was set for hearing, and Wamatangi’s legal team claimed the demolitions violated constitutional protections for property and fair administrative action. So far there has been no formal explanation from authorities on the legal basis for the exercise, but officials present at the scene said the action was linked to plans to repossess the land, potentially for future infrastructure developments.
Large crowds gathered as the exercise unfolded, with police firing shots into the air to disperse those closest to the site. As debris and twisted metal littered the ground by sunrise, business owners and traders began assessing losses and demanding clarity on what many called a heavy-handed operation.
