Deep Sea’s eviction fears
Every name has an origin and meaning, a fact that is confirmed by a slum located between two high-end estates.
Deep Sea seems to entrench well the deeper meaning of a slum that has a history of evictions.
A walk into the slum reveals scores of street families and a general aura of suspicion and hopelessness.
Residents told NairobiNews that the name Deep Sea comes from the landscape.
“The village is located on a slope which runs into a river,” said Mr Zigashane Matambura.
It divides the posh Muthaiga and Parklands estates. While residents in these two estates live in affluence, Deep Sea dwellers’ lives are the opposite. They work as construction or domestic workers in these estates.
The river runs across the slum with shanties sitting close to its banks.
Residents are now living in fear of yet another eviction.
“We have just heard that the government wants to construct a road. What we don’t understand is why they would want to demolish our houses because the road will not be passing through here,” said Chester Maneno.
The slum traces its origins to the country’s independence in 1963 and has since been expanding.
According to a report by Amnesty International, it is home to almost 8,000 people.
Residents of Deep Sea were among hundreds of people who took to the streets last Thursday to demonstrate against the impending demolitions.