Residents protest installation of internet masts without consent

By our reporter

Residents of Nkaimurunya Ward under Hills View Residents Association are protesting the installation of a booster in Hill View Estate without public participation as required by the law.

The residents wrote a letter to Liquid Communication Company which was contracted by Airtel to install fibre cables for homeowners.

Through their chairperson Charles Leshore, the residents claimed installation of a mast (pictured) at the estate was done secretly inside one of the resident’s home and that while that was being done, the property was fenced till December 2022.

The contractor later installed the cable in the wee hours of the morning (February 4, 2023) with residents only waking up to see trenches dug, some water leaks and pipes destroyed.

Leshore argued that the trenches were dug right in front of their houses hence they were unable to drive out, forcing them to miss church service on February 5, 2023.

He added that when they demanded to be shown contract documents so as to know the scope of the project, its approvals by relevant authorities like NEMA and to know the mitigation measures put in place for existing amenities in the roads and estate lanes, there was none available.

The residents now want the contracted firm to be responsible for all damages to water pipes, drainage systems, the health impact of the project on residents, the psychological torture the residents endured, and the two vehicles that fell on the trenches as the road was narrow.

“While all efforts to reach Airtel Kenya have been made, we haven’t got any response,” part of the letter read.

The residents’ association will now seek legal redress to restrain Airtel and its agents from continuing with the cable installation and operating the mast without their consent.