Karen Nyamu threatens to lead naked protest for slum recognition in Nairobi
Nominated Senator Karen Nyamu has issued a startling threat to lead a demonstration in which Nairobi County women would undress in the city’s streets as part of their fight for the rights and recognition of people living in its slums.
Senator Nyamu made this announcement on Wednesday, October 18, while lending her support to a Bill tabled at the Senate, advocating for increased funds for Nairobi’s slum areas and their classification as marginalized regions.
In a passionate address, Senator Nyamu decried the historical neglect of Nairobi’s slum dwellers and asserted that unconventional methods might be necessary to draw attention to their plight.
“We have been crying as Nairobi for these slum dwellers, and we have been ignored over the years, and we are going to resort even to unorthodox means,” she declared.
Nyamu’s bold vow to mobilize women in the county to disrobe in public for their voices to be heard has caused a stir among the city’s residents.
“As Nairobi women in Laini Saba, Kiboro, Mji wa Huruma…we’re going to undress in this town if that is what it takes to be heard, so that we get the attention of these policymakers, this House, and the legislators,” Nyamu stated.
“Nairobi is not a rich county; just because we are the seat of government and we have rich estates does not mean we are rich.”
She pointed to a recent statement made by Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti during her fight for the rights of the county’s residents in the East Portland Cement company land demolitions, suggesting that it is time for Nairobi to employ any necessary tactics to convey their message effectively.
“Just like Governor Wavinya Ndeti said that Kambas have their own ways of solving things, Nairobi, we are going to find a way of solving this thing and having the slum dwellers recognized by the highest office in this country,” Nyamu emphasized.
Karen Nyamu said Nairobi’s status as the nation’s capital has left it out of similar budgetary allocations, with some legislators presuming the city to be a “rich county” despite statistics indicating otherwise.
She contended that a substantial number of people reside in slum regions under deplorable living conditions.
She argued that a larger allocation of resources would not only facilitate development but also alleviate the burden on the already strained county budget.