14 Slum Profiles Westlands Division

Transcription

1 14 Slum Profiles Westlands Division

2 KIBAGARE DAM WESTLAND KAPTAGAT NITD WARUKU DEEP SEA MAASAI SUSWA MJIWA HURUMA Nairobi Inventory 15

3 In 1986, the City Council presented the residents with a notice to pay Ksh. 100, 000 as Council land rates for the plot they are settled on. The residents did not pay, firstly because the land has not been allocated to them and second because they could not raise the amount. This notice only served to indicate that the land could have already been allocated to a third party. In 1999, a fire burned down the entire village. Residents say this was not the first time and they saw it as an attempt to evict them. After the 1999 fire the local authorities barred them from reconstructing their structures. They decided to stay on and eventually the area D.O. allowed them reconstruct. According to the residents, the settlement is on Nairobi City Council land measuring approximately 0.25 acres. They however do not have any proof of this. The population is estimated at 1820 people. The adults constitute 56% of the population 16 Slum Profiles Westlands Division

4 There are 150 structures in the settlement. More than 70% of the structures are built using old iron sheets with carton lining on the insides of the houses while some 30% of the structures are newer built using iron sheets provided by the Westland s Consolata church. There are six cement-based structures in the settlement. Most structures comprise a single 8ft by 9ft room. Typically each room houses a single household, though a few households occupy more than the single room. In some instances the rooms have been partitioned to make room for a rental space. Half the structures are owned by resident structure owners while the other half by absentee. In most cases the structure owners own a single room, though a few own up to four rooms. Tenants make up a third of the population. Rents vary from 500 to 1000 shillings per month. $ 145 = ±80 Ksh. The residents cite the Highridge NCC clinic and Kenyatta National Hospital as their main health care facilities Suswa has four communal toilets and four communal bathrooms The toilets have piped water and are connected to the city s sewer system. The settlement also has a piped water point that acts as clothes washing area. Water is sold at Ksh. 2/- per 20 litre can. There is no electricity service in this settlement. A majority of the residents working force is employed as domestic workers in the surrounding Parklands and Westlands suburbs. A few are either small business people or casual laborers. Children from the settlement attend nursery school at the school in neighboring Deep Sea settlement. Others go to school either at the Highridge City Council Primary School or North Highridge School. There is an artisan workshop training at Deep-sea village open to the youth in Suswa. Nairobi Inventory 17

5 Gradually they have been squeezed through the allocation of land to private developers to occupying the tiny piece of land with private residential houses and schools taking up the places they used to farm. Masai is situated in Highridge area. They have over the years experienced evictions. On 14, July 1995, the settlement was completely demolished and the residents beaten up - especially the leaders. They stayed out in the cold for seven months; they would cover themselves with polythene papers at night and put them in their bags during the day. Their building materials were carried away by the City Council askaris. They had to start all over again by building simple structures in In 1998, a fire broke out and the whole village was gutted killing one person and destroying virtually all the property in the settlement. In December 2001 another fire left 2 people dead. This was seen to have been an arsonist s work as houses had been locked on the outside. The local administration has been hindering reconstruction efforts made by the residents. There are no CBOs/NGOs in the settlement and residents have in many instances relied on assistance from outside for every kind of development. Indeed the intervention by the Catholic priest was one of these efforts although his assistance met a lot of opposition from the area Provincial Administration. 18 Slum Profiles Westlands Division

6 This settlement occupies one eighth of an acre. The residents say the land is privately owned. Estimated at 183 people in 61 households. There are 61 single roomed structures measuring 9 by 10 feet each and mainly built using iron sheets. There is no electricity in this settlement. There are 4 latrines and 2 bathrooms in Masai, built with iron sheets, and having cemented floors. The facilities are connected to the main sewer system. These facilities were built through the assistance of the Consolata Church. Masai has piped water that is sold at Ksh.2 per 20 liters can. The water project is managed by the villagers and sustained through the vending of the water. Access to Masai is through a narrow path that leads out to Parklands Fifth Avenue. Most residents are engaged in small businesses that include producing and selling traditional brews. The residents say that less that ten people are formally employed. One resident keeps two goats. Masai has a poor drainage system so that domestic wastewater and rainwater flow along the settlement s paths. Garbage is thrown into the river near the village. This same river had served as the village s latrine before the latrines were put up. Nairobi Inventory 19

7 In 1978, some people started claiming ownership to this land. The residents petitioned Ministry of Lands concerning this development and reported that the title documents that had been issued to the people claiming ownership was cancelled. Later these individuals petitioned the Lands Board and made some sub-divisions that make the settlement today. In 1990, the settlement was demolished and residents spent nights in the cold on the V-island on the junction to Loresho town, and Kangemi. Several attempts to fence off the settlement once they were moved out have been resisted by the residents and several arrests have been made. A 1998 court case dismissed the claim of ownership by an individual whose fence had been demolished by the residents. Kaptagat is located on a road reserve. The land size is less than 2 acres. There are 5 plots around the settlement. These are 241,837,838,839 and 840. Plots 839 and 840 are titled to private individuals while 841 is private but with no title yet. They all used to be a part of the village. 20 Slum Profiles Westlands Division

8 There is an estimated population of 1600 people living in the village of Kaptagat. They occupy 400 households, each of which occupies a room measuring 9 by 9 ft or 10 by 10 ft. The average household capacity is 4. Structures are made using either old iron sheets or timber cut-offs. More than 90% of these structures have no cemented floors, while the remaining 10% have cemented floors which are not very well done or are chipping off. There are only 8 latrines that serve the entire population of Kaptagat. This translates into 200 people per latrine. They have however been trying to construct latrines to meet the increasing population but the area chief has been opposing any moves to do so. There are few built bathrooms - most of the residents bath inside their houses. There are no drainage dikes in the entire settlement and water flows freely into the river below. Water was connected to the village in 1978 and costs the residents Ksh.3 per 20-litre can. Water is also drawn from vendors in Dagoretti at a cost of ksh. 8 per 20-litre can when there is shortage. The village is not connected to electricity and there are only very squeezed paths for access through the village. Most of the residents in this community are small-scale traders. They are however restricted by the area chief and cannot put their items freely for sale. Only one resident is said to be in full-time employment with a local agro-chemical firm. Most of the youthful population in the settlement are engaged in casual employment in the local industries around the settlement and in the transport business. These engagements are however infrequent and they are most times not doing anything much. Only one resident keeps livestock. Others are traders keeping poultry in transit to the market. Nairobi Inventory 21

9 In 1991 the government sought an alternative piece of land in Embakasi Division, where a hundred and seventy people were resettled. The remaining population was left unsettled in the new site and either gave up or moved into other settlements. The majority however, were not removed from this settlement and continue to live here to date. The settlement has been receiving a lot of assistance from the Assumption Sisters of Nairobi who also run the St. Martin Centre Kibagare, which is located in the settlement. Apart from the Government s demolition of the settlement, no one has ever claimed the ownership of this land. This could be attributed to its being a road/railway reserve. Kibagare is situated on a road/railway reserve. This means that it is on public utility land under the trusteeship of the Nairobi city council.the land size of the settlement is seven (7) acres according to the residents. The settled area however could measure about 4 acres. 22 Slum Profiles Westlands Division

10 It is estimated that the population in this settlement is 15,000 people. There is an estimated population of 3,000 households with an average of 5 people per household. These households are housed in a single room each, although there are a few other ones that are occupying more than a single room but fewer than four. There is a mixture of structure owners and tenants in the settlement. 60% of the structure owners own two rooms each. The others own up to 8 or 10 structures or rooms. Some of the owners are very highly placed individuals in the local and central government. Fewer than 30% of the structure owners live within the settlement. Materials used in construction of the structures include old iron sheets, cartons and mud/wattle trees. There are however a row of newly made structures that are made of new iron sheets. Less than 40% of the structures have cemented floors. Allocation fee for structures on the front row is Kshs. 15,000 and 25,000 for one and two rooms respectively. Those behind the front row go for Kshs.10, 000. The local administration officers and elders ask for these charges. Rents for the tenants range between Kshs. 500 for the relatively new rooms that also have cemented floors and Kshs. 450 for the old rooms without cement on the floor. There are 3 latrine structures in the settlement, each having three doors, and no bathrooms. There are seven other private latrines. Therefore, 16 latrine doors for the entire population translate to 938 people per latrine. These latrines are not evenly distributed in the settlement and there is a frequent use of the open spaces. There is also the use of flying toilets. There are no water dikes in the entire settlement and water (rain and domestic) drains itself freely in through the structures to the road where it forms small pools in which children play. Garbage collection is not centralized and there is filth all over the settlement, thus posing obvious risks to the populations there. The settlement is served with piped water with 12 points from which to draw water for free. There is no electricity connected to this settlement. Access to the settlement is by means of an allweather road that serves the posh Loresho estate. It however turns to a dirt road at the start of the settlement. 40% of the settlement residents and especially women are involved in small-scale business in the village or in the nearby Kagemi market. 20% are involved in casual employment and especially in the domestic sector in the Loresho, Westlands and Spring Valley areas. Fewer than 10% of the residents are in full-time employment and the rest are either housewives or unemployed. Nairobi Inventory 23

11 The people who had been left were at first uncomfortable in going back home due to the fear that they had co-operated in oppressing the indigenous population. Others could not go home because they had been left out in the allocation of land in their former areas and therefore sought to settle anywhere else they could find.. Waruku settlement has witnessed several demolitions in the past, including the famous demolitions of the 1970 s and the 1990 Muoroto demolition. To the residents their presence here has been as a result of persistence. The settlement has also had a number of misfortunes that included fire outbreaks in 1987 and 1995 that gutted everything in the village. Residents had to construct again from scratch. They have also been facing a lot of opposition from the area Provincial Administration that has been handling their issues with arrogance or insensitivity on many occasions. Waruku is situated on the City Council of Nairobi s land. Indeed the area on which it is established is a shopping centre. The size of the land of the settlement is about half an acre. 24 Slum Profiles Westlands Division

12 There are 9 latrines in the settlement that serve the entire population and also the market nearby. Some of these are very private, so sharing is not possible. There is therefore a lot of sharing of the facilities and on filling up, private individuals are called in for a fee of up to Kshs. 3,000 to empty them for continued use. There are no drainage dikes in the settlement and water runs anywhere especially on the paths in the settlement to drain itself and so does rain water. The collection of garbage is not centralized and garbage is found anywhere within the settlement. Water is supplied in the settlement and residents are charged Ksh. 3 per 20-litre container. There is no electricity supply in the settlement. There is an access road to the settlement that is all-weather, from Waiyaki way. However, once inside the settlement, access is by an earth road and paths. There is an estimated population of about 420 people in Waruku. These people make up 60 households that occupy two rooms each with an average of 7 people per household. The structures in this settlement are made of old iron sheets, tins and cut-offs from trees. 95% of the structure owners are resident while the remaining 5% acquired land elsewhere but maintained structure ownership in this settlement for purposes of renting them out. 60% of the residents of Waruku are involved in small-scale businesses within the village and in the nearby Kagemi market. The other 40% are either in the domestic industry or in casual employment or unemployed/housewives. Nearly all the structures here have no cemented floors. Nairobi Inventory 25

13 All the people who got settled here were structure owners and the numbers have gone up due to population increase. They never used to have piped water before 1986 and they were using the Ruaka River s water for domestic purposes. This was however interrupted by the channeling of sewage water from Runda in The settlement at the moment has stretched to occupy the entire area that had been left unfenced. The residents are not allowed by the authorities to expand the settlement onto the vast open land that surrounds their settlement. They in fact were left out as they watched people get allocated the Karura forest. There have been several claims of owneship by some individuals. However nothing substantial has happened and no demolition or eviction attempts have taken place. This settlement is also known as Mji Wa Huruma. It is located on the City Council s land on which Mji Wa Huruma home for the aged is located, next to Runda Evergreen estate. This home is run by the Nairobi City Council. The size of the land occupied by both the village and the home is estimated to be 8 acres. Five acres are occupied by the village. 26 Slum Profiles Westlands Division

14 There are 10 latrines that serve the whole village. Most of the people therefore use open areas near the village. There are no drainage facilities in the village. Water drains itself through the village to the river below the settlement. There are occasions in which water has flooded into people s houses. Garbage is disposed of in the river below the settlement or in the bushes nearby. Piped water is served to the village and residents pay Ksh. 2 for a 20-litre can. However there is only one tap to draw water in the entire village. There is no electricity connected to this village. Cheleta Primary School serves the village, as does Muthaiga dispensary a Nairobi City Council facility. There is an estimated population of 2065 people living in this settlement. There is a population of 413 households with an average of six members each. Each household occupies an estimated area of 22 by 10 ft. The entire population of the occupants is structure owners. There are no tenants in the settlement. Structures are built using mud and wattle trees with the roofing taking the form of iron sheets and tins. Most of the workforce in this settlement provides manual labour on the coffee farms. There are a few others who are domestic workers and gardeners in the nearby estates of Runda and Evergreen. A very small number are in full-time employment. There are a few goats and chickens being reared in this settlement. Almost every household is involved in keeping either goats or chickens. Residents are however not allowed to graze in the open area near the settlement. Almost all the structures have no cemented floors. Nairobi Inventory 27