By Brian Kiprono - Reporter
Kenya, 14 January 2026 - Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi has strongly condemned the demolition of his property in Nairobi, describing the operation as an “act of cowardice” meant to intimidate and silence him as he carries out his development agenda.
Speaking on Wednesday, the governor accused unnamed individuals of misusing state offices to interfere with his work and undermine his service to Kiambu residents.
“Stop using government offices to ruin me. Stop using state offices to destroy my property and intimidate me. This is an act of cowardice,” Wamatangi said.
He insisted that the dawn demolitions were designed to distract him from development work and drag him into unnecessary political confrontation. Wamatangi said he has deliberately avoided politics to focus on service delivery.
“I am non-political and a development person. This is intended to silence me and intimidate me, and to remove me from my development agenda so I can become just like everyone else,” he said.
The governor reiterated that he intends to work for Kiambu residents without engaging in active politics until March 2027, when he plans to seek re-election.
“I have made a decision that I'm going to work for the people of Kiambu without a single word of politics until March 2027. But that does not mean I will not run for governor,” he said.
Expressing confidence in his support on the ground, Wamatangi added: “I will be the Governor of Kiambu, God willing, because the people of Kiambu have decided that, because of the work we are doing, they will give us this seat back.”
“Tutahakikisha kazi ndio itaongea. Mikono hamtatukata.”
He urged political rivals to campaign independently and refrain from using state machinery to interfere with his property or disrupt his work.
Wamatangi also raised concerns about his personal safety, claiming that his home had previously been raided and warning that the repeated incidents posed a serious threat.
“Yesterday I said that since they are destroying, I would not come because you never know who the bullets are targeted at,” he said.
More from Kenya
He further claimed that the demolition was carried out despite the existence of court orders and without prior notice.
“We have court orders that were signed when they first destroyed my property. Yesterday they came here with tear gas and live bullets,” Wamatangi said.
The remarks follow a dawn operation in which excavators and bulldozers, escorted by police officers, moved into his business premises along Douglas Wakiihuri Road off Lang’ata Road and brought down semi-permanent structures, vehicles and other property.
Several businesses, including a car yard, a car wash and a restaurant, were affected. By morning, debris littered the site and access along parts of Douglas Wakiihuri Road was restricted, disrupting movement near the railway line close to Nyayo Stadium.
Police maintained a heavy presence during the exercise. Nairobi police commander George Seda said officers were deployed to provide security as Kenya Railways reclaimed the land.
“The management says they notified the owner of the property to vacate, but there was resistance. We came in to help in the demolition,” Seda said, adding that no injuries were reported.
The demolition came days after Wamatangi, through his company, moved to the Milimani Commercial Magistrates’ Court seeking protection from what he termed as verbal threats of eviction and demolition.
In the petition, he argues that the land belongs to Kenya Railways and has been leased to his company for more than 20 years, with rent allegedly paid and acknowledged throughout that period.
“Throughout this period, the Applicant has duly paid rent which has been consistently received and/or acknowledged by the 1st Respondent (Kenya Railways Corporation), thereby affirming a valid and subsisting tenancy under which the Applicant has established and continuously operated a business on the premises with the knowledge and acquiescence of the 1st Respondent,” the petition states.
The application maintains that the demolition violated his constitutional right to property and failed to follow due legal procedures set out in the Land Act.
