Kwajo Tweneboa: Housing activist declines MBE ‘off the back of an issue which…should never have existed’

A London housing campaigner has said he turned down the offer of an MBE as he “cannot accept being honoured…off the back of an issue, which realistically, should never have existed”.

Kwajo Tweneboa, an activist who gained notoriety in 2021 while battling Clarion Housing Group over necessary repairs to the south London flat he and his two sisters were living in, announced on Twitter that he had chosen to decline.

He wrote in his statement: "I want to start by thanking whoever chose to nominate me, as I have no doubt it came from a good place.

"So much grief and suffering has happened as a result of the poor state of Housing in the UK, with the vulnerable and poorest most ignored. Some living in, what can only be described as slum conditions.

"On 14th of June 2017, 72 innocent men, women and children, tragically - and prematurely - lost their lives in Grenfell Tower, through no fault of their own. A disaster that never should have happened.

“Since then, campaign groups like Grenfell Unity, Shelter and many others have stood side by side demanding systemic change.

"Whilst brave tenants have shared their own experiences, in order to highlight the sheer lack of progress and accountability since Grenfell, many continue to suffer…

"Therefore, I cannot accept being honoured or receiving a title off the back of an issue, which realistically, should never have existed, and in saying that, I felt compelled to turn it down.”

He added he had written to the Prince and Princess of Wales to inform them of his decision, “and to also express my interest in collaborating with them to raise awareness surrounding the social issues causing needless suffering to minority groups across the UK”.

Since winning his battle with Clarion to carry out the fixes to his home, which included excessive mould and a missing ceiling, Mr Tweneboa has become a vocal advocate for widespread reform of and improvements to the UK housing market.

Earlier this year, he told LondonWorld he backed Mayor Sadiq Khan’s calls for a rent freeze in the capital, saying he had spoken to tenants having to endure conditions “that not even animals should be living in”.

“It’s simply become too unaffordable,” he said. “People aren’t able, in some cases, to feed themselves, heat their homes and pay their rent. And ultimately, that’s something that needs to be addressed.”