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The Standard Blog

To move or not to move, that is the question in Kibera

Published on 25/09/2009

Roseleen Nzioka

September was a month full of drama. What with the Ringera debacle; the firing of police comish Hussein Ali; the jailing of a mzungu MD for defiling young girls; kidnappings; odd political liaisons (read Jimmy Kibaki and William Ruto; impending Mau evictions etc etc.

But what stood out in all this and has earned considerable mileage in the local and some international media was the relocation of hundreds of Kibera slum dwellers to modern self-contained residences in Nairobi.

However not everyone is happy with this new development. There are slum landlords seething with anger at the prospect of losing out on an income they have been accustomed to for years. And that is perfectly understandable; no one likes to lose money.

But what is baffling is the resistance by some of the slum dwellers themsleves who have vowed to stay put as tenants in what is popularly referred to as Africa’s biggest slum – Kibera.

One would be forgiven for wondering why in the world a slum dweller would refuse to move out of his/her shack into a modern self-contained flat.

It beats all logic for slum dwellers to protest against being provided with decent shelter - a cardinal requirement according to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. It does not matter what reason or excuse is given or in what language and format it is presented, I personally find it extremely difficult to be convinced that somehow there is some merit in living in a slum.

I am an advocate for the complete eradication of slums and therefore I am very impressed that the government has finally begun to deliver in the provision of decent housing for its citizens.

However, much remains to be done to overcome the housing backlog and make basic services such as water and electricity not only available but affordable lest we go the South African way where it is the order of the day for those housed in government projects to fight over the cut-off of water and electricity and evictions for non-payment of rates, rent and mortgages.†Our government can learn a lesson or two from big brother down south.

COMMENTS

1. On Friday November 20, 2009, 10:00 AM , Monica, Kenya wrote:

  You expect Kibera mob to move out and pay rent?Forget it - they don't pay rent there are no landlords in Kibera, they uproot the railway line when Power people come to disconnect illegal connections:ditto water people. They lead a Catholic Univesity bus into a ditch& then demand to be paid to move it out. The culture of violence& free things reigns here

 

2. On Saturday November 14, 2009, 16:53 PM , Kibet Chebii, United Arab Emirates wrote:

  Those resisting relocation may actually have legitimate reasons for their stand. Perhaps they are doubtful about the sincerity of those urging them to move, the fear of being asked to pay for hidden charges soon after they are settled etc. What's needed is proper education on the Govt policy to proving decent housing & to assure/guarantee them that its not about the usual politics.

 

3. On Thursday November 12, 2009, 6:14 AM , enter full namesMoses Kabuthi, Canada wrote:

  I really dont understand why people are quick to judge. There is gotta be a reason why slum dwellers given the opportunity to a better living standard, dont wanna relocate. Maybe there is more to what, than just meets the eye, politicians say one thing, but mean another. What slum dwellers need, is absolute assurance that they wont loose their premises, should they lack rent. Translation, security

 

4. On Friday November 6, 2009, 8:25 AM , Kichia Collins, Tanzania wrote:

  Within the slum they got their livelihood somehow.

 

5. On Friday November 6, 2009, 8:08 AM , Cheleket Amos, Kenya wrote:

  Why should one refuse to go to a good flat free of charge when others are praying to be in such flat just to sleep for a night? It really beats logical since man have a hierarchy of needs and if the government have fulfill others why don't you show appreciation? Think twice slum dwellers.

 

6. On Thursday November 5, 2009, 6:04 AM , Odipo Otieno George, Kenya wrote:

  I was born in Kibera's Ayany Estate, Line K which is the most adjacent to Kianda Slums. I had most of my friends and school mates were from there. Later we moved to Olympic, where is also adjacent to Katwekera and Soweto slums. Here I made friends with the guys from the other side of the railways. I must say this that as much they are attached to the shacks, they need to move to cleaner places.

 

7. On Tuesday November 3, 2009, 2:19 AM , Elizabeth Akinyi, Australia wrote:

  The move to concretize the slums is good and is one step forward but in the 80's the slums were not that bad and leaving in Olympic we fetched water from the slums at times and my only concern as a child was that my cousins were sharing bathroom with strangers but they were there and were clean. We need to decongest Nairobi by decentralising the industries so that not everyone is in Nairobi.

 

8. On Monday November 2, 2009, 5:08 AM , Al Gray, United States wrote:

  I lived in Kibera slums near Chief's camp. We had affordable water and toilets. We were safe there and we could put aside matatu money and walk to work. Now, my friends out there at Kibera tell me that the new houses are very small and lack many amenities. Also slum houses acted as shops, kiosks. In the new houses people can’t trade because they were not designed for that. So logical to stay put.

 

9. On Monday November 2, 2009, 5:02 AM , Al Gray, United States wrote:

  Rose, Before I came to the USA, I lived in Kibera slums near Chief's. We had affordable water and toilets. We were safe there and we could put aside matatu money and walk to work.Now, my friends out there at Kibera tell me that the new houses are very small and lack many amenities. Slum houses acted as shops, kiosks etc. In the new houses people cant trade due to congestion. What else can we do?

 

10. On Friday October 16, 2009, 18:19 PM , Waby, United States wrote:

  My dictionary defines a slum as an over crowded area area where living conditions are poor,The conditions in the new projects are just as over crowded: several families have to share a two bed roomed flat and the conditions are poor no water and electricity, the only difference is that they now live in a concrete slum. This is not the eradication of slums this is the "concreteization" of slums

 

11. On Tuesday September 29, 2009, 5:16 AM , Ngash, United States wrote:

  Remember you have to fulfill biological and physiological needs before you move to the next hierarchy. It's not because they don't want to move but the fear of change is always there. Just look at our leaders who are supposed to be self actualized their mindset is still based on physiological needs.

 

12. On Thursday September 24, 2009, 19:49 PM , enter full names kepha ogoti, Kenya wrote:

  The goverment deserves credit for housing program.For those who donot want to move ,they are behaving like those times of NOAR when people did not believe that floods are coming and never entered into the BOAT.They all died.For those who donot want evacuation to be taken to court and get charged of TRYING TO COMMIT SUICIDE. BY KEPHA AT IRAQ.

 

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