Nairobi — Kenya Railways Corporation (KR) has issued a seven-day notice for the vacation of properties along Haile Selassie Avenue and Uhuru Highway, escalating a standoff between the state and religious institutions affected by the Sh28 billion Nairobi Railway City project.
The notice affects, among others, Neno Evangelism Centre led by Pastor James Ng'ang'a and Jesus Is Alive Ministries (JIAM) founded by Bishop Margaret Wanjiru.
While several structures in the area have already been demolished, including business premises linked to Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi near Nyayo Stadium on January 14, the two churches were still standing as of Wednesday.
Confusion spread in Nairobi on Tuesday after images circulated online purporting to show the demolition of Ng'ang'a's church. The preacher dismissed the claims, saying the footage was misleading.
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"People are telling me to take heart because my church is being demolished. No church has been demolished," Ng'ang'a said, speaking in Kiswahili.
Despite the clarification, Ng'ang'a remains locked in a legal standoff with Kenya Railways, relying on a 2023 court injunction barring the corporation from interfering with the property, which he says he bought from the Central Bank of Kenya. That protection now faces pressure amid intensified efforts by the agency to reclaim railway land.
Bishop Wanjiru's Jesus Is Alive Ministries is also facing imminent displacement. Although the main sanctuary remains intact, parts of the church compound were previously demolished. In March 2024, Kenya Railways agents pulled down a section of the perimeter wall, an action Wanjiru--who is a former Member of Parliament--described at the time as political betrayal by an administration she had supported.
Kenya Railways insists the evictions are necessary to pave the way for the Nairobi Railway City, a 425-acre urban regeneration project partly backed by an £80 million commitment from the United Kingdom. The project seeks to transform the Nairobi Central Railway Station into a multimodal transport hub capable of handling up to 30,000 passengers during peak hours.
Kenya Railways Managing Director Philip Mainga has said reclaiming the railway reserve is critical to the construction of a new central station, underground pedestrian terminals, and the integration of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridors.
The demolition of Governor Wamatangi's property earlier this month, which Kenya Railways said was required to support infrastructure preparations for AFCON 2027, has underscored the agency's hardline stance that no individual or institution will be exempt from enforcement.
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