The Dandora Hip Hop City building, in the heart of Dandora, has been demolished by the gov’t due to its proximity to the Dandora River.
The center has served as a vital hub for local youth and artists for over seven years.
This follows an order by the Ministry of Interior that all buildings located near rivers should be demolished.
The news broke through emotional social media posts from both Dandora Hip Hop City’s official Twitter account and its founder, renowned Kenyan rapper Juliani.
The center, located 30 meters from the river, has been a sanctuary for young people seeking to express themselves through hip-hop, dance, and visual arts.
“Got the news that our space will be demolished tomorrow. We have been in existence for the last 7 years+. Kindly put us in prayers. Join us as we will be doing a press release tomorrow at DHC,” read the tweet from Dandora Hip Hop City.
In a follow-up post, the artist shared a video showing the building being brought down.
“This is not the end but inauma Sana!! To think that we were working on expanding to the neighbouring spaces and upgrading the facility,” he noted.
according to Juliani, the 2-storey building was purchased more than 7 years.
Kenyans react:
@WanjeriNderu: The unfair bit is that they are ONLY demolishing areas that house poor people and informal settlements. No warning. People are waking up to excavators in their neighbourhoods. Rich/middle class people on riparian land are being spared!@IS_HumanRights
@JelaniMK: When it comes to Riparian Land demolitions, enforcement only occurs when the structures belong to poor people and/or people who are engaged in any type of contests/conflicts with the political class.
@NixxxSaw: Mara si bibi sasa pia demolitions. Tough tough
