156 Slum Profiles Embakasi Division

156 Slum Profiles Embakasi Division

BANDORA KAYO LE NJIRU RUAI UMOJA EMBAKAZI KATANI MUKUBU KWA NJENGA 1. 1. Mohra Moldada Village 2. 2. Kyang ombe Village 3. 4. 5. 3. Embakasi/Sokoni Village 4. Kayole Soweto Village 5. Matopeni Village Nairobi Inventory 157

In 1957, Gould Barger bought the piece of land stretching from behind Donholm to Kayole and settled the workers on a section of the land promising to let them own it. He however left Kenya without formally handing over the land and one Kairu Munene came up to claim ownership and has been selling parts of this land to private developers. The land estimated to be between 3 to 5 acres under private ownership of Continental Construction Company is currently claimed by Mrs. Kairu Munene and Embakasi MP Hon. Mwenje. In 2005, Mrs. Kairu gave 7 days eviction notice and within 14 days pulled down and burnt their structures at dawn using Administration Police, hired thugs and tractors. The threats are still rife with Mrs. Kairu and Hon. Mwenje being the claimants. 158 Slum Profiles Embakasi Division

Public communication facilities are in the neighboring Kayole and Savanna Estates. The resident population is estimated to be over 1000 people 40% of whom are adults with household occupancy rate of about 4 people per household. The 340 structures are constructed using timber and iron sheets some reused and bear witness to the past burning and demolition activities. The residents here are the structureowners with no tenants and occupy rooms measuring 10 by 10 sq. feet Children attend Doonholm and Edelvale Primary schools under NCC Education Department. Congestion in classrooms is common challenge but the schools have opportunities for expansion. One private hairdressing college in Doonholm charges Kshs. 7000 per training program. The nearest health facility is located in Doonholm Estate and offers mainly outpatient care for the common water-borne, respiratory, HIV/ TB related opportunistic infections and malaria. There is no piped water supply and residents buy from the neighboring estate at a cost of 5 shillings per 20 liter container Sanitation is poor as there are only 34 privately owned but dilapidated toilets themselves posing risks of use and no sewers in the settlement hence flying toilets are commonly used. Drainage channels are narrow, open and poorly maintained and stagnant pools of domestic liquid wastes worsen the state of pollution and risk of respiratory and vector-borne ailments. Flooding is common during heavy rains. Has no garbage disposal system and solid wastes are thrown into the nearby Ngong River. Lacks electricity supply. The residents engage in casual jobs and self employment in small scale business with incomes ranging from Kshs. 100 to 250 but markedly irregular depending on daily variations in opportunities. Community leadership is not well defined though village elders handle internal disputes and refer security matters to the local chief. No CBO/NGOs have initiated development activities in the settlement and they have not benefited from the devolved government funds. Road access poor with muddy footpaths not amenable to motorized transport. Nairobi Inventory 159

The residents trace the ownership of the 5 cares land to a White Settler who left in 1957 without paying his workers occasioning the take over by the workers of the land initially used as a horticultural farm and later declared Aero planes Flying Area. Eviction threats have been received from unknown people but residents have effectively resisted such attempts. The resident population is estimated at about 10,000 people with adult/children ratio of 2:3 and occupies about 1500 households. There are about 500 structures with a total of 2000 (10 by 10 sq. ft) rooms primarily built of timber and iron sheets. Structure-owner tenant ratio is 1:3 and rental rates stand at Kshs. 500 per room. 160 Slum Profiles Embakasi Division

There is no piped water supply. Water is available free at a company water tap There are no pit latrines and flying toilets and nearby bushes are commonly used There are narrow drainage channels maintained by residents but not adequate to prevent floods during rainy seasons. Garbage disposal is directed to the nearby bush Residents have no electricity connections though power line isn t far from the settlement. Embakasi Village post Office and Social Hall are accessible to the residents. Most residents offer casual labor in the nearby industries or engage in small scale business undertakings with daily incomes ranging from Kshs. 100 to 300. Unemployment and crime are common concerns in the area. Governance concerns are mainly handled by the village elders who are also the structure owners. The residents have not benefited from the devolved government funds. Settlement served by the road linking KAPA Oil Refineries to the Mombasa Road. There is only one private primary school Bright Star nearby preferred for lower classes as public schools are far away. School drop out rate is minimal. Private clinics provide out patient health care needs as there are no public health facilities nearby. Nairobi Inventory 161

The elders allocated themselves part of the land (Jua Kali, Aviation and Nyayo village), built houses and sold out to the rich individuals leaving out the poor residents. The residents have not been given allotment certificates and occasionally get eviction threats mainly from land grabbers some posing as council workers. The resident population is approximately 12,000 giving a density figure of 4000 per acre with children making about 60% of the total population. There are 700 residential structures built of timber, iron sheets and cemented floors with an average of four 10 by 10 sq, ft rooms. Majority of the structure owners live within the village and charge rent of Kshs 1000 per room. More than 60% of the inhabitants are tenants. 162 Slum Profiles Embakasi Division

Residents buy piped water at 3/- per 20 litres container at 2 privately managed water kiosks. There are 2 toilets built and maintained by NCC though not in good condition as the sewer outlet is broken and has not been repaired. Residents pay 2/- for usage per visit. Open drainage channels maintained by the residents are narrow and prone to overflow and flooding during heavy rains. Garbage is haphazardly strewn in some parts of the settlement but a youth group is emerging to manage waste disposal. Most residents are employed as casual laborers in the nearby factories and the Jua Kali sector earning up to Kshs. 5000 while some engage in small scale trade in household consumables. The village elders oversee the governance concerns within the village linking with the chief s office on security concerns. They have not benefited from the devolved government funds and have neither self help groups nor links with development support agencies. A Muungano Savings Group, initiated earlier has collapsed. Road access into the settlement is hampered by encroachment of structures and muddy conditions. Utawala Primary school offers free primary education program and is accessible to the children in the area. Residents rely on Embakasi Health Centre in Embakasi village for outpatient care with common ailments being malaria, HIV/TB, dermatological, respiratory and water borne disease. Nairobi Inventory 163

The NCC and military team of surveyors did the land use planning and subdivision providing for social spaces likes market, school and hospital before they were brought in to settle in between 1978 and 1979. In 1981, residents of Kwa Gitau settlement moved to Soweto village after an influential politician grabbed their land. The land measuring about 20 acres was intended for residential use and belongs to the NCC that maintains a register of the occupants. No eviction threats have been issued from any quarters but residents were given allotment cards to enable them carry on with development. The settlement is densely populated with estimated 10,000 inhabitants distributed in about 1600 households with adult- children ratio stand at 4:7. There are about 800 structures with an average of two 10 by 10 sq. ft. rooms. Common building materials are timber, iron sheets and cement used on the floors. A few stone houses exist mainly occupied by the structure owners. The structure-owners/tenants ratio is 1:10 and rent charges range from Kshs. 300 to 1800 depending on the quality of the house and services provided. 164 Slum Profiles Embakasi Division Kayole Soweto Village

Piped water is available at more than 35 stand points selling at between 2/- and 3/- per 20 litres container and managed by the water meter owners. The settlement has no sewer line connection and relies on over 200 pit latrines built and maintained by the structure owners for use within their plots but public ones charge 5/- per use. There are open drainage channels maintained by the residents but prone to blockade by solid wastes whenever it rains with common risk of floods. There is a garbage dumping site in use but some are thrown directly in the nearby Ngong River and drainage channels. Electricity connections by KPLC on going while underground extensions from private meters are common. Externally road access is good but encroachment by structures has narrowed the pathways making movement within the settlement difficult. The designated social spaces have been grabbed by the village elders and turned to residential use but residents access schools churches, mosque and community centre(built by CDF) in the neighboring estates. Most residents engage in casual unskilled and semi-skilled jobs and self-employment in small scale enterprises earning up to Kshs 200 per day while a few are on formal employment. Unemployment and crime are common concerns in the area. Village elders and the area assistant chief oversee the security and administrative concerns within the village. The residents have benefited from development initiatives undertaken by the Catholic Church, Baptist Church, KENWA and CDF. Children access Mwangaza, and Kayole Primary schools in the nearby Kayole estate under the free education program. Health care services are provided by private clinics and Kayole Dispensary all catering for outpatient cases. Nairobi Inventory 165

The village is in Umoja location bordered by Kayole, Spring Valley and Stone Quarry. Residents report having been settled here by the area MP Hon. Mwenje and an aspiring councilor called Njeri who sold the plots at 500/- in 1997. Some of the beneficiaries built temporary structures but later sold the plots for between Kshs 20,000 and 30,000. There are no Title Deeds and most of the plot owners live in Kayole, Soweto and the neighboring estates. The land area is about 10 acres, ownership and intended use unclear. Eviction threats are common from developers keen to grab the plots from the poor. The resident population is estimated at about 15000 people distributed in 1875 households hence an average household occupancy rate of 8 per household. The adults/child ratio is estimated at 3:7 typifying a high dependency burden in a low income settlement. Most of the structures numbering about 1000 are owned by absentee landlords and rented out to tenants paying between 500/- for the timber and iron sheet structures and 1500/- stone houses with rooms measuring 10 by 10 sq. ft. 166 Slum Profiles Embakasi Division

Over 300 resident structure owners have piped water connections and sell to the residents for between 2/- and 5/- per 20 litres container under normal supply conditions but pay between 10/- and 20/- from outside the settlement during scarcity. Pit latrines are constructed by structure owners and shared by household members per plot. Open narrow drainage channels are maintained by the residents but frequently get blocked occasioning floods during heavy rains. Electricity connections by KPLC are on going. The settlement has no designated public spaces for development as allocation did not follow standard development plan. External accessibility by road is good but the scramble for building space within the settlement didn t allow adequate space for internal road system Some residents pay 10/- per week for garbage collection arrangements while others use a common dumping site or dispose directly into the nearby river. The nearest public primary schools is in Kayole 2kms away from the settlement while some go to Soweto, Komarock or the church run Dhawabu Primary school. Most of the residents are on casual jobs and small scale business engagements with daily earnings between Kshs. 150 and 300 while a few are on formal employment. The committee of village elders keeps check on eviction threats and represents the residents. The settlement has not benefited from the devolved government fund and has no links with development support agencies. Health care provision is limited to outpatient services at Kayole Health Centre while St. Mary Catholic Centre offer HIV/TB patient support and care. Nairobi Inventory 167