- Churches and a mosque in Nairobi’s Makongeni Estate faced demolition
- The land is being cleared for a government affordable-housing project
- One church had spent about 6 million shillings on its site over nine years
- Pastors asked for three months to find new land
Several churches and a mosque in Nairobi’s Makongeni Estate were caught up in demolitions to make way for a Kenyan government affordable-housing scheme, the Daily Nation reported on 10 December 2025. The places of worship named included Makongeni SDA Church, Join Gospel Church, the Synagogue of Praise for all Nations Church, the Legio Maria Church and Makongeni Mosque.
Join Gospel Church said it had invested about 6 million shillings in its property over nine years. Its pastor, Nicholas Kisavi, described the moment officials arrived: “They came led by the OCS, removed the church fence and warned that if we had not cleared our belongings by 4 pm they would demolish the entire structure.”
He said the congregation accepted it had to go but needed more time. “We are only asking for time—at least three months—to find alternative land,” he said. “We have agreed to leave, but not within a day.” Joyce Njeri, a widow who had been sheltering in the church, appealed directly to the President: “This church has been our home.”
Officials pressed ahead. Deputy County Commissioner Philip Koima said: “As we speak, a bulldozer has demolished the Legio Maria Church.”
The story sets two good things against each other: new homes for families who need them, and places of worship that serve as community anchors and, in some cases, shelter. For Jamaica, where many congregations meet on land they occupy without clear title or on plots that sit in the path of government development, the Makongeni demolitions are a warning. Security of tenure matters as much for a church as for a household. Congregations should know who owns the land beneath them, and get that ownership documented, before the bulldozers arrive.
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