An Emerging City - Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya
- Largest slum in Kenya - 60% of the people that live in Nairobi live in slums
- Between 800,000 and 1 million people live in Kibera 255 ha (around the size of 255 football pitches)
- Extremely high population density of 1 meter of floor space per person
- There are around 100,000 orphans under the age of 18 years – this is due in part to the AIDS epidemic in Kibera
- Due to rapid expansion, Kibera lacks sewers and has poor levels of sanitation, making diseases the main killer
Unemployment
- Kibera is near the industrial area of Nairobi where up to 50% of the available workforce are employed - usually as unskilled labour
- Changaa is a cheap alcoholic drink, which is widely available, and very strong (over 50% alcohol)
- It is usually made incorrectly, and has a very high level of methanol
- The cost is only KES 10 (7p) per glass and after a couple of glasses people become very drunk
- With over 50% unemployment in Kibera, many start drinking early in the morning leading to problems of violence, crime, rape etc.
- Several charities are trying to help by showing Changaa makers how to make the drink less dangerous
- Cheap drugs and glue sniffing are an increasing problem
- Initially taken to alleviate boredom but then people find themselves hooked, again leading to a rise in crime rates
Land ownership
- The Government owns all the land
- 10% of people are shack owners and many of these people own many other shacks and let them out to tenants
- The remaining 90% of residents are tenants with no rights
Housing
- The average size of a home is 12ft x 12ft built with mud walls, a corrugated tin roof with a dirt or concrete floor
- The cost is about KES 700 a month (£6)
- These 'shacks' often house up to 8 or more with many sleeping on the floor
Electricity
- Only about 20% of Kibera has electricity
- The UN-Habitat is providing electricity to some parts of Kibera
- This includes street lighting, security lighting and connection to shacks
- Whilst this costs KES 900 per shack (£6.50), in most cases cannot afford it
Water
- Water was collected from the Nairobi dam until recently
- As the dam water is polluted, typhoid and cholera were prevalent in Kibera due to a lack of sanitation
- Now there are two water mains in Kibera, one from the municipal council and one from the World Bank
- Residents pay KES 3 per 20 litres (25 pence) for clean, safe water
Sewage
- Most of Kibera has no toilet facilities
- One latrine (hole in the ground) is shared by up to 50 shacks
- Once full, young boys are employed to empty the latrine and take the contents to the river, further polluting the water and spreading diseases
- UN-Habitat and a few other agencies are trying to help improve this situation but it is a slow process
Medical facilities and HIV/AIDS Clinics
- Kibera has no government clinics or hospitals
- The providers are NGOs (charitable organisations): Oxfam, Red Cross, MSF, churches plus others
- All people are encouraged to have a free HIV test and if positive to take free generic ARV medicines
- Many men in Kibera do not use condoms and with the availability of Changaa, many girls become pregnant
- At any one time about 50% of 16 to 25 yr. old girls are pregnant
- Most of these pregnancies are unwanted, resulting in abortions, which are due to lack of medical care are dangerous in such a poor area as Kibera