Why Kibera Slums
This is a slums settlement with approximate population of 1million people with a population density of about 80,000 per square kilometre, covering about 81/2 sq. kilometres. The area is inhabited by almost all the 42 tribes in Kenya, and with various tribal compositions. The major tribes are the Luo, Luhya, Kikuyu, Kamba and Nubians.
Nature of settlement
Kibera has 11 villages namely, Kianda, Gatwekera, Kisumu Ndogo, Soweto, Lindi, Makina, Kambi Muru, Line Saba, Mashimoni and Raila. Settlement in each of these villages is haphazard with temporary structures made of rusty corrugated iron sheets on the roof and mostly mad on the floors and walls. Most of these shanties measure 10ft.by 10ft. Each shanty has an average of seven (7) members. Most households do not have toilets or pit latrines; those who have are overused.
Social Aspect
The people of Kibera have diverse educational background, ranging from primary school to university. There is a high level of unemployment in the slums. Many people are engaged in casual informal jobs fetching about 2 Dollars a day. Many women are mainly housewives. Some are employed as housemaids in the neighborhood prime estates like Otiende South Lands, Lavington etc. Others who may be lucky are casually employed in the adjacent Nairobi’s Industrial Area where they get an average of two dollars per day.
Some people are engaged in micro businesses for earning a living. They are characterized by lack of capital to start the desired businesses.
Majority of people cannot access medical facilities; thanks to influx of NGOs like CDC, MSF-Belgium and others that offer Free Medical Care for the beneficiaries under their programs.
HIV/AIDS is rampant, and in some households children have been left without parents. Those who live are yet to get to terms with the scourge. Many of the people are sick. Diseases like malaria, TB, cholera which are associated with filthy environments are rampant. Many children suffer from malnutrition, as they do not afford to get enough food to eat.
As a result, there are many children who do not go to school, even though primary school is said to be free. This is because most households cannot afford to meet the cost of pre-primary education for these vulnerable children.
Many youth are idle, and usually resort to illegal activities and malpractices like thuggery, prostitution, drugs and alcohol, which usually make them vulnerable to diseases like HIV/AIDS.
In mitigating these problems, there is a need to establish sector-specific programs in an effort to supplement those offered by the government to smaller extent. The following provides a synoptic summary of KISCODEP programmatic areas of focus and its level of interventions.
