Comrades,

THE SITUATION IS MORE GRAVE, THE GREEN JEEVANJEE GARDENS PARK IS NOW BEING REPLACED BY A CONCRETE WALL AND CONCRETE JUNGLE, UNDER THE SUPERVISION AND FUNDING OF UN HABITAT UNDER THE GUISE OF SAFER CITIES INITIATIVE

As we speak, it is becoming clear why the members of people’s parliament were roughed up,
mercilessly beaten yesterday, arrested and are being illegally detained at Central police
station.

As early as 8am this morning, 4 trucks of city council workers were taken to Jeevanjee
Gardens where they are putting up a concrete perimeter wall and making arrangements that
will see the only public patch of greenery inside the city of Nairobi converted into a
concrete jungle, complete with half the park being converted into, of all things, a
public bus park!

Jeevanjee Gardens is under attack again; this time by the City Council of Nairobi and UN
HABITAT under the guise of the Safer cities Initiatives. People’s Parliament is on record
opposing the conversion of Jeevanjee Gardens into a public bus park and a concrete park
where members of the public will no longer be able to enjoy the green grass and the
serenity of the many trees amidst the concrete jungle. Many members of the public,
including People’s Parliament voiced their opposition in many meetings last year and
wrote to UN HABITAT opposing the grabbing of the public space and conversion of the same
for purposes other than those that it was intended for when the land was granted to the
people of the city of Nairobi by Mr. Jeevanjee.

If the Nairobi City Council and UN HABITAT succeed in tearing the park apart, the city
will have lost one of its gems, forever. The park is a resting place for the tired and
weary, a playing ground for children especially during the weekend, and an excellent
place to unwind or pass a lunch hour for those who cannot afford to buy lunch. For
People’s Parliament it is a meeting place with a long record of successful social,
political and economic action, an irreplaceable platform where ordinary Kenyans from all
walks of life, all tribes, all economic and social strata meet and interact. It is where
members socialize and revitalize, plan for action and conduct civic education. It is
priceless. If it is lost, it will never be regained.

Apparently, the move to arrest members of people’s parliament, besides being part of an
effort to permanently eliminate the movement, is also calculated to intimidate the
members so that they do not resist the designs of the city fathers aimed at grabbing the
space.

We now need urgent action to intercede on our behalf and have UN HABITAT and the NCC
stopped from ruining the park that has survived for almost 100 years as a welcome patch
of green in the middle of the city. It is a shame that UN HABITAT, the agency created to
ensure that cities develop without putting residents in jeopardy and the agency we should
be calling on for support is the one funding the initiative aimed at destroying the park!

Please, urgently write email and faxes demanding the immediate halting of the wall and at
the same time demand that UN HABITAT stop the process that has been going on largely
behind the backs of the residents and without their consent. Please demand that any
prospective changes be subject to public debates that are more inclusive and about which
the public is duly informed and included in.
Write all letters to the attention of the following persons who are responsible for the
ongoing problems in addition to the others named in the earlier message:

MRS HELEN TAbAIJUKA
UNITED NATIONS HUMAN SETTLEMENT PROGRAMME (UN HABITAT)
Fax: +254 20 762 39 19
Fax: + 254 20 762 43 25
Email: execdir.habitat unhabitat.org
Tel: + 254 20 762 12 34

and:

MR. JOHN GAKUO, TOWN CLERK
NAIROBI CITY COUNCIL
MINISTRY OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT
FAX: +254 20 337 960
TEL: + 254 20 21 74 75

and:

DIRECTOR , URBAN DEVELOPMENT
FAX: +254 20 337 960
TEL: +254 20 340 972

INFORMATION ABOUT THE ARRESTED MEMBERS OF PEOPLE’S PARLIAMENT

It’s 11:30AM, approximately 20 hours since the arrest of 56 members of people’s
parliament from the Jeevanjee Gardens yesterday. The current situation is as follows:

Of the 56 arrested members, 32 members are still in custody. The others have been granted
bail. Of concern is the condition of 5 members who were injured during the arrest,
especially of one of the members who is said to have been badly injured and unconscious
for more than 30 minutes and is still in custody.

Activists are still camped at the police station waiting to see the people in custody. By
the time of this email no person has been seen, although there is presently a heavy
presence of police both within and outside Jeevanjee Gardens.

Please work as fast as you can. In our experience, the town clerk ordinarily needs only
one or two days to do irreversible damage. Action must be taken today if any positive
results are to be realized.

We urgently need people to do the following:

1. Contact the Kenyan Embassy in your country and demand for the
immediate release of all members of Bunge la Mwananchi(People’s
Parliament) who were arrested at the Jeevanjee Gardens today 10^th,March
2007, 32 of whom are currently still being illegally detained at the
Central Police Station in Nairobi

2. Demand the arrest of the City Council officers who were responsible
for beating and injuring 5 members of People’s Parliament.

3. Demand that the government of Kenya stops, with immediate effect, the
concerted effort to harrass members of People’s Parliament.

4. Contact your own government and demand that your government stops
supporting the Kenyan government. Your taxes should not be used to aid
in the harrassment of poor Kenyans by a government that is so afraid to
lose
the election that it no longer tolerates discussions amongst the
citizens!

5. Send faxes and email in solidarity to the following offices:

HON. Mwai Kibaki, The president of Kenya

Email: president statehousekenya.go.ke

HON. MUSIKARI KOMBO, Minister, Local government

TEl:+ 254 20 217475

FAX: +254 20 337 960

(Responsible for the City Council officers)

BRIGADIER HUSSEIN ALI, Commissioner of Police

Tel: +254 20 341411

The Nation Media Group (local media)

Fax: +254 20 213 946

The Standard Group (local media)

+254 20 213108

Email: editorial eastandard.net

We thank you all for your constinued support! Aluta Continua!

For and on Behalf of People’s Parliament:

WANGUI MBATIA:
+254 722 74 75 75), + 254 20 204 0192

tfosa swiftkenya.com

P. O. Box 22708-00100

NAIROBI, KENYA

HASSAN INDUSA (+254 723 489 463),

WAMBUGU MWAI (+254 733 248 301)

TERRENCE NJOROGE (+254 727 881 926)

KENYAN EMBASSY UK
Kenyan High Commission

45 Portland Place, London W1N 4AS

TEL: 020 7636 2371/5 FAX: 020 7323 6717

KENYAN EMBASSY USA

public.diplomacy kenyaembassy.com

NewyorkConsulate KenyaEmbassy.com

Losangeles KenyaEmbassy.com

Hoc KenyaEmbassy.com

Telephone: (202) 387-6101

Fax: (202) 462-3829

Mailing Address:

Embassy of the Republic of Kenya

2249 R Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20008 U.S.A.

ITALY

Embassy of the Republic of Kenya,

Via Archimede, 164,

00197, Rome. Italy

Tel.: (+39) 06-8082717/8

Fax: (+39) 06-8082707
i
nfo embassyofkenya.it

Netherlands

Embassy of Kenya in the Hague, Netherlands

21 Nieuwe Parklaan

2597 LA The Hague

The Netherlands

City: the Hague

Phone: (+31)70- 3504215