Kibera - Nairobi - Kenya
• Projects Report from Korongocho, Kambi Moto and Kibera
FACTS & FIGURES
Kibera ( from kibra: forest, djungle) is one of the informal settlements which is located in Nairobi, Kenya. Kibera is considered to be the largest slum area in Africa. There is no reliable information on how many people who live there, but numbers varies between 500 000 and 1 000 000 inhabitants.
History
The colonial period
In year 1902 the British colonial government officially founded the city Nairobi. There was a detailed segregation plan who showed where people from different areas were allowed to stay. In 1918 Kibera was given Nubi warriors as a thank for their efforts during WW 1. The settlements were allowed to grow and the Nubi people could let part of their land to people from other tribes, who weren´t allowed to stay in other parts of Nairobi.
Post independence period
After the declaration of Kenya as an independent country in 1963 many of the settlements in Kibera became illegal. Still, a lot of people moved to the area. People from the country side who came to Kibera to work, often settled down in areas like Kibera and Dagoretti, and the number of tenants quickly exceeded the allowed limit.
Kibera today
Geography
Kibera is situated seven kilometres south east of the centre of Nairobi. It is 2.5 square kilometres and is built up alongside a railway. On its south border is the Nairobi river. Kibera consists of ten villages; Lindi, Kisumu, Ndogo, Soweto, Makina, Kinda, Mashimoni, Siranga, Gatuikira, Laini Saba and Raila.
Upgradation
The government of Kenya have been trying to upgrade the slum areas of Nairobi, by evicting illegal tenants and tearing down the informal settlement buildings and instead build legal houses and better roads. The number of inhabitants in Kibera is regardless of the efforts still increasing.
Poverty, diseases and criminality
95% of the population in Kenya is considered to live a life in poverty. An average family consists of seven persons and they live in one single room. Officially the land is owned by the Kenyan State. Most of the people who live there is considered to be illegal dwellers. For this reason the infrastructure in the area; like roads, water pipes, sewage and the handling of garbage is largely under dimensioned in relation to how many pepole who live there. Statistically there is one toilet per 500 inhabitants, which in reality means that a lot of people don´t even have access to one, nor do they have access to fresh water. Diseases are easily spread, unemployment and criminality is common. HIV and Aids are also a big problem amongst the poor people in the slum and as many as 15% of the inhabitants in Kibera is infected with HIV.
Källor
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/dpu-projects/Global_Report/cities/nairobi.htm
http://habitants.org/article/articleview/1061/1/403/
http://www.msf.org
Related; People Georg Götmark / David Herdies / Erik Rosshagen Project Report from Korongocho, Kambi Moto and Kibera