A case study of: Rural to urban migration from West Kenya to Kibera, a shanty town in Nairobi & The problems faced by large scale in-migration, Kibera, a shanty town in Nairobi

The movement of people from countryside areas to cities is called rural-to-urban migration.

LOCATION People are moving from the Nyanza region around Lake Victoria in West Kenya to Kibera a shanty town in Nairobi. Look carefully at the following map.

The Causes of Rural to Urban Migration in Kenya

Migration of the Luo ethnic group from West Kenya to Kibera:

People move away from a place for two reasons: Push factors are those which make people want to move away from a place. Pull factors are those which draw people to a new place.

% of Population living in Poverty Kenya Total : 47% Urban Poverty : 34% (Nairobi) Rural Poverty : 50% (West Kenya)

The Luo and Turkana in the west of Kenya near Lake Victoria are now the main migrants into Kiberia.

The Luo are an ethnic group in western Kenya The Luo are the third largest ethnic group in Kenya. The main Luo livelihood is fishing, farming and pastoral herding. Many work as tenant fishermen, small scale farmers, and urban workers. The area of west Kenya has been ravaged by AIDS and with little or no infrastructure, the Luo-populated regions remained poor and undeveloped, despite the economic potential of nearby Lake Victoria. Malnutrition amongst these communities are indeed high; one study estimates that 40.2% of children in fishing communities have stunted growth.

AGRICULTURAL CHANGE Agriculture is the main source of livelihood for Kenya’s poor people. Seven out of ten Kenyans cultivate crops, raise livestock or engage in fishing and forestry. Kenya main export is tea and coffee. Agriculture account for more than 50 per cent of GDP, 80 per cent of export earnings. Since the early 1990s, Agriculture has modernise and this has but small-scale, poor farmers at a disadvantage. Droughts and low prices for the cash – crops exported, such as coffee, have contributed to difficulties. A tea plantation worker works for 9hrs a day to earn around 45p a day. Some plantations provide accommodation and schools, many do not. Poor rural infrastructure (roads, rail etc)

Access to Water Only about 46 per cent of rural people have access to clean water. Since 1980 rapid deforestation has shrunk the country’s forest cover, now occupying only 2 per cent of the land, increased overgrazing has led to removal of vegetation cover. All of these factors have contributed to declining water catchment capacity and more severe flood and drought conditions. This, together with a growing population, means that per capita water availability in Kenya is only about one tenth that of the of Uganda and Tanzania.

Fuel wood supply and demand balance

Soil Erosion

Disease People living in the rural, isolated, and undeveloped areas of Kenya are particularly susceptible to contracting diseases. Because these areas lack adequate services, infrastructure, and on-site healthcare, efforts to control the transmission of disease are difficult. Human factors such as poor hygiene further aid the spread of disease, making some diseases more common. To change these cultural patterns, human behavior must be modified.

Effect on village/villagers left behind. Using the double page spread to help, think of the effects on the village left behind by rural depopulation. First write the disadvantages of rural depopulation for the village left behind. Then write the advantages of rural depopulation for the village left behind. For each advantage or disadvantage you need to label whether it is an economic, social or environmental factor.

Problems in Kibera Go through the next 4 slides and fill in the spider diagram of the problems faced in Kibera. Highlight to show social, economic and environmental problems

Solutions to Kibera’s problems Use the next 2 slides or your booklet to fill in your GCSE revision notes.