Life in an Urban Slum Kibera Nairobi Kenya

FACTS & INFORMATION ABOUT KIBERA There are approx 2.5 million slum dwellers in about 200 settlements in Nairobi representing 60% of the Nairobi population, occupying just 6% of the land. Kibera houses almost 1 Million of these people. Kibera is the biggest slum in Africa and one of the biggest in the world.

Land Ownership The Government owns all the land. 10% of people are shack owners and many of these people own many other shacks and sub-let them. All the rest are tenants with no rights.

The Population All the people are African. The original settlers were the Nubian people from the Kenyan/Sudanese border – they now occupy about 15% of Kibera, are mostly Muslim and are also mostly shack owners. The other shack owners are mostly Kikuyu (the majority tribe in Nairobi) – although in most cases they do not live there but are absentee landlords. The majority of the tenants are Luo, Luhya and some Kamba – these people are from the west of Kenya. There are many tensions in Kibera, particularly tribal tensions between the Luo & Kikuyu, but also between landlord and tenant and those with and without jobs.

Electricity Only about 20% of Kibera has electricity. UN-Habitat is in the process of providing it to some parts of Kibera – this will include street lighting, security lighting and connection to shacks (this costs Ksch 900 per shack, which in most cases is not affordable).

Water Until recently Kibera had no water and it had to be collected from the Nairobi dam. The dam water is not clean and causes typhoid and cholera. Now there are two mains water pipes into Kibera, one from the municipal council and one from the World Bank. Residents collect water at Ksh 3 per 20 litres.

Sewage In most of Kibera there are no toilet facilities. One latrine (hole in the ground) is shared by up to 50 shacks. Once full, young boys are employed to empty – they take the contents to the river. UN-Habitat and a few other agencies are trying to help and improve this situation but it is painfully slow.

Medical facilities and HIV/AIDS Clinics In Kibera there are no government clinics or hospitals. The providers are the charitable organisations: AMREF, MSF, churches plus some others. They do a great job. All people are encouraged to have a free HIV test and if positive to take free generic ARV medicine.

Unemployment Kibera is near the industrial area of Nairobi where up to 50% of the available workforce are employed (usually in fairly unskilled jobs). However, there is still an unemployment rate of 50%. This is why the training and teaching of skills is very important.

SUMMARY Kibera needs land/tenancy rights, housing, water, electricity, health clinics, education, employment, security plus much more. All these issues are being addressed to a lesser or greater extent by many organizations including the Churches, UN-Habitat, MSF, AMREF etc. Money is finding its way through from many international organizations including Gates Foundation, Bill Clinton Foundation, all the well known charities and of course the churches both in Africa and internationally. However, money cannot help without people to direct it – all the organizations require assistance.

Solutions to help improve Kibera SELF HELP IS THE BIGGEST IDEA Practical Action, a British Charity has been responsible for low cost roofing tiles made from sand and clay and adding lime and clay and natural fibre to soil to create blocks used for building that are cheaper than concrete. People can afford to do this and do not have to rely on direct aid. The United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN HABITAT( has provided affordable electricity to some parts of Kibera for 300 Kenyan Shillings per shack. 2 main clean water pipes are now in operation. 1 from the municipal council, 1 from the UN WorldBank. This costs Kiberans 3 Shillings per 20 litres

Solutions The Red Cross are trying to make advancements in sanitation such as providing latrines. Long Term Projects A 15 year project, began in 2003 to re- house thousands of Kibera residents. In year 1, 700 families were re-housed in new blocks of flats with running water, toilets, showers and of course, electricity. Residents are involved in the plans and funding of 650 million shillings have been provided.

Solutions The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have provided 2 grants totaling US$2 million for Kenyan HIV/AIDS prevention-focused initiatives. William H. Gates, Sr., co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, made the announcement at an HIV/AIDS town forum in Kibera, a community in Nairobi. "Positive change on HIV/AIDS prevention happens locally, at organizations that are working with and within communities and on university campuses," said Mr. Gates. "These institutions are doing incredibly important work for the people of Kenya, but much more help is needed. With more than 700 new HIV infections in Kenya each day, it is critical that we continue to push forward with innovative prevention, care and support initiatives."

Solutions The Clinton Foundation bring together partners from all over the world who make commitments to address particular issues. NEW YORK - September 24, Pentair Ltd. A global water, fluid, thermal management and equipment protection company, announced today at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting its Commitment to Action to address the safe water needs for the people in Kibera, an impoverished settlement in Nairobi, Kenya. In doing so, it will help reduce the number of residents who suffer from water-borne illnesses, which is the leading cause of death around the world. Pentair will deliver not only a financial commitment, but also its water engineering and technical expertise. The company will leverage its full breadth of products and its global manufacturing footprint to substantially increase access to safe drinking water in Kibera.