MEDIA STATEMENT
THE fourth day of eviction at 9- Mile, Bush Wara`s Portion 2156, 2157 and 2159 went smoothly starting today (Monday, July 15, 2024) with police and sheriff officers onsite to carry out the eviction order.
According to police officers on site, most people residing in the three affected portions had voluntarily removed their houses during the weekend giving space for the eviction exercise to continue.
The Commander of National Capital District and Central Provinces Assistant Commissioner of Police Peter Guinness had also warned the settlers who are thinking of setting up makeshifts at nearby vacant land, that police will not hesitate to remove them if they are caught. He said some settlers who had started putting up their makeshifts along the road leading into the Nine Mile eviction zone, had them removed today.
ACP Guinness thanked the police and sheriff officers for coordinating the eviction exercise that went well since Thursday, July 11, 2024.
He said the settlers were given enough time to remove their properties during the actual eviction day.
He said those who made an attempt to remove their houses were given time to remove them while the machines moved to another location.
“I want to thank the police and sheriff officers and also those people who were affected for working together that had seen the eviction to take place smoothly. The settlers there had come to realise that there is a court order in place that the security personnel will have to carry out the eviction. We all must learn from this eviction exercise, and when we want to put up a permanent structure on a piece of land that is not our customary land we must make sure we check properly who the land belongs to,” ACP Guinness said.
He added that some church buildings are yet to be taken down by the congregation of the respective churches.
He said it’s a court order and any structures that are erected on the said portions of land that is mentioned in the eviction order will be taken down unless the title holders approve for it to remain. He said otherwise all structures must be taken down including the churches that are still up.
ACP Guinness also confirmed that the eviction exercise will continue this week. He said two portions of the land which are portions 2156 and 2159 are nearing completion and they had also started moving into portion 2157.
