“I am political displaced citizen from kazanchis” (Lived Experience) (by Henok Tsegaye) 

Editor’s Note: This article provides a unique and heartfelt perspective on the redevelopment of Kazanchis, offering readers a glimpse into the lived experiences of its residents. In keeping with Borkena’s commitment to fostering open dialogue and amplifying diverse voices, we are pleased to share this personal account. The views expressed are those of the author, and we hope they serve as a starting point for a broader conversation about the social and cultural impacts of urban redevelopment in Ethiopia.

By Henok Tsegaye 

According to what was revealed in the media, On September 01/2024, Prime Minister
Abiy Ahmed announce “Corridor Development and Redevelopment” is needed at where I was born and grew up in my hometown of Kazanchis and also the city mayor should lead the implementation of this work.

On September 08/2024, at nine o’clock in the morning, the sub-city workers came to each house and called us to come to the sub-city meeting hall at eleven o’clock in the morning. The meeting was jointly chaired by the sub-city executive and the city mayor. Both leaders told us that Kazanchis neighborhood will be redeveloped by the government. But they ended the meeting without telling us any basic information, like when will it be demolished, where will a replacement house be given/built for us, and under what conditions will it be demolished?…etc. In the course of the meeting, four thank-you providers and residents who live dependents on the other house asked to get a house independently for them and one resident asked to give us basic information, but no response was given except to the dependent’s resident. And the mayor went into the committee election quickly to avoid any other resident to raise questions, but personally I raised my voice loudly four or five times and said that #The mayor asked me a question; and tried to get an opportunity to ask which area we need to redevelop in our area Kazanches, but she continued to choose the committee without any response. Realizing this situation, the residents who understood that it was a platform for media consumption and not for real discussion, tried to leave the platform, but the security forces closed the door and forced us to stay. Since this fake discussion, there has been no real meeting or discussion held at any level.

In this situation, we were forced to spend New Year’s Eve as a joyless and spiritless camp, filled with boredom and sadness. The day after the holiday, the sub-city staff came to each house and asked us the number of families and to choose from a kebele house or a condominium. As a family, we chose a condominium house with three bedrooms and completed two rounds of the registration process. But in the third round, we went to the woreda to give the necessary documents and fill out the form as in the previous round. Woreda’s employees who filled the form told us, “There is no condominium house, the only one we have is a studio; otherwise, you have to choose a kebele house.” We were made to sign and submit a form titled “A form for the developers to accept the government’s plan,” stating that we had given enough information, had sufficient discussions, and agreed to leave the area. They also told us that we would not be able to get a house if we did not choose the house option and sign the form they gave us.

Subsequently, on September 21, 2024, at 1:00 a.m., we were told by phone that the drawing process would be held the next day and that we should be present. Accordingly, we drew lots at the woreda hall. Before we drew lots, an official from the city administration explained to us the process and requirements of the lot, which would give studio houses to families with a quantity of 1-3, one-bedroom houses to families with a quantity of 3-7, and two-bedroom houses to families with a quantity of 8 or more. It was also explained to us that the lot papers, at the time of drawing lots, were all for houses with the same number of bedrooms or no bedrooms, and that we would only draw lots for the selection of house square size, area, and floor. Disabled and elderly residents would be given priority (for example, they would be placed on the lower floor compared to the free floor). Finally, we drew lots. But, like the size and number of rooms of the house we lived in, the version of the house, and the density of the dwelling (whether or not it has a yard; either on a group or individual level), which the existing lifestyle does not consider as criteria, caused a gap in the lottery process.

According to the lot, all the residents of Kebele House in Kazanchis were scattered in Gelan Gura, Bole Arabsa Gabriel, Bole Arabsa Jarso, and a few residents in areas called Summit Pepsi. Our social ties completely fell apart. What I mean by this is that, apart from the occasional meeting of two or three neighbors in the same place/area by chance, there has been no effort to continue the social life of the residents. As far as I know, four #ederoch have been destroyed because of this. Business workers in Kebele homes are scattered in the field, #tsebel tsadiq mahebertegnoch (religious gathering at home) are scattered, neighbors are separated, the ill are separated from their support givers, etc.

After drawing lots in the woreda on September 22, 2024, we were forced to leave our homes on October 11, 2024, and move to a place called Bole Arabsa Gabriel area in a car provided by the government. Before us, the residents who were said to have reached the Gelan Gura area were also evacuated a few days ago. It has been one month since we started living in the Bole Arabsa Gabriel area, and I have been able to observe many things during our stay. When I compare the neighborhood of Kazanchis with Bole Arabsa, my quality of life has declined. When I say this, it may confuse some people and raise the question: how can I go from a mud house to a block house, and my quality of life has declined? However, I believe that what should be considered is the level of political, economic, and social benefits that a citizen needs and wants, beyond the criteria of mud and block. Also, I believe that we can bring human-oriented development when this is the standard and is implemented. Accordingly, I have tried to compare my political, economic, and social benefits when I lived in Kazanchis and now in Arabsa in the form of the table below:

According to the table above, it is clearly indicated that my previous neighborhood of Kazanchis provided me with a better quality of life than my current location in Bole Arabsa. However, on the government’s authority’s lips and in the media, it is widely heard that the government always gives priority to human development and that the redevelopment and corridor development are people-oriented. But on the ground, it is the opposite! Without any discussion, without asking or knowing the needs of the residents, without any formal warning or notification period (not notified by letter from any government hierarchical institution), by threatening and suppressing the residents who demanded their rights, the quality of life has been reduced to a lower level rather than improved… etc. Therefore, we, the residents of Kazanchis, have experienced political displacement due to the government’s implementation in the name of redevelopment and corridor development.

When I write this, it makes me both smile and feel angry. They informed us that we could submit our complaint to the woreda level, the Addis Ababa Housing and Management Office, and the mayor’s office. I went to the mayor’s office to submit my complaint letter, but the person in charge, who spends time at the gate looking for cases to let pass, answered me harshly by saying, “The housing issue does not concern the mayor,” and he rejected me from entering the building.

By the way, earlier, when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed gave a speech upon coming to power, he stated that many citizens were displaced by the previous political system. Based on this, he stated through the media that this displacement should not be repeated and that citizens need to be able to grow and develop in their area without being forced to leave. He further promised that his government would ensure citizens could develop in their own area without being displaced. Additionally, the citizens/farmers who were displaced by the previous government’s political system were given condominium houses and financial compensation. Each displaced citizen/farmer received one house for the father and mother, and one-bedroom condominium houses for each farmer’s child, all free of charge, along with financial compensation. On the other hand, the citizens displaced from the city center were not given any compensation. This tells us that the current government has a double standard for its citizens.

The current political displacement began by continuing the displacement of citizens from the center of the city, which was carried out by the previous political system. From the beginning, it has received attention and priority from the political leadership, with budgets and human resources coordinated. It is presented as a plan at the national level, and the work is being carried out under the name of redevelopment and corridor development. This current act of political displacement is very frightening and concerning, both in scale and speed, because it destroys the political and economic interests and needs of the Addis Ababa community, as well as the social ties.

In general, as I have tried to describe above, it shows the government’s implementation process, which they call redevelopment and corridor development, carried out on the residents of the Kazanchis neighborhood. Based on this, my request to the government is to stop displacement from now on and to resettle those who have been displaced from the Kazanchis neighborhood and all around Addis Ababa city. Also, in the name of God and as a disenfranchised citizen, I ask domestic and foreign investors, business organizations, or any individual or institution not to buy or build on the land of displaced Kazanchis residents or other displaced persons in Addis Ababa city, because we are bound to return to our land and settlements. However, I would like to remind those who bought or built on this land that they are no different from the party that displaced me!

God bless Ethiopia and Ethiopians!!!

Editor’s note : Views in the article do not necessarily reflect the views of borkena.com

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