The demolition of car wash and carpet cleaning businesses belonging to Kiambu governor Kimani Wamatangi by the Kenya Railways ignited a debate about other structures built on public lands.
The demolition was carried out on January 14, 2026 leaving the governor counting losses worth millions of shillings including deaged vehicles belonging to his customers along Douglas Wakihuri road in Nairobi.
This came even as the governor claimed that he leased the land from Keya Railways and that he had secured a court injunction against the demolition.
This has elicited debate about the land where Neno Evangelism church is located and why Kenya Railways has not ejected the owner, Pastor James Maina Ng’ang’a.
For starters, Ng’anga’s church has been under threat of demolition due to land disputes with Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission.
However, the reason the church has not been demolished is due to ongoing legal and procedural, rather than an absolute impossibility.
This includes the fact that Pastor Ng’ang’a obtained a court order in 2023 stopping Kenya Railways from touching his church.
At the same time, the preacher claims he purchased the land for Sh42 million from the Central Bank of Kenya in 2004.
However EACC is currently pursuing a case to recover the land citing that it is part of the Kenya Railways and was illegally acquired.
But Ng’ang’a Ng’ang’a has publicly challenged the government, daring them to shut down his church and warning of divine consequences if they proceed with the demolition.
