Sonko Rescue Team, a non-govermental organization associated with Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has moved seeking orders to stop the national government from interfering with its activities.
Under a certificate of urgency, the Team accuses Nairobi Regional Security Commissioner Wilson Njenga, PS Karanja Kibicho, CSs Fred Matiang’i and Mutahi Kagwe of interfering with their activities such as food distribution, masks, sanitizers among other items to the less fortunate during this COVID 19 period.
Through lawyer Harrison Kunyanjui, the petitioner accuses the police of destroying its sanitizer spray booths erected at Kencom bus stage, Buruburu and Kibera.
The petitioner aver that similar booths erected at Kenyatta National Hospital, Greenspan estate, Mathare and Korogocho risk destruction unless the court intervenes.
“The police have interfered with plans of distributing foodstuffs and other items such as face masks and hand sanitisers, to the less fortunate in the society, yet the government has not put any interventions in place,” says the petitioner.
Sonko’s team says it has been stopped from distributing food to slum dwellers yet other politicians were still doing the same, an act he said smacks of discrimination.
According to Kinyanjui, the organisation procured and installed each sanitizing booth at Sh 400,000 and has distributed face masks to residents in the slums.
He added that with the destruction, the NGO lost Sh 5 million, yet similar booths placed in Mombasa are still in use.
The group is said to have been empowering the youth and women in Nairobi to increase access to clean water, education and health care services, among other service.
“Unless the court intervenes and restrains the respondents, the petition will be a mere academic exercise and proceedings rendered nugatory yet the petitioner has sought the court’s intervention expeditiously,” Kinyanjui submitted.
Justice Weldon Korir issued an order stopping further destruction of the booths, pending the hearing of the petition.
