Nairobi is Kenya's largest city with a population of nearly four million. The city is hosts many local and international businesses and organizations. Despite these, many challenges emanating from road congestions and traffic jams to crime and poverty in the neighboring slums are apparent.
The growth of slums emanates from rapid rural-to-urban migration, economic stagnation and depression, high unemployment, poverty, informal economy, poor planning, politics, natural disasters and social conflicts.
Here is a list of Nairobi's slums:
1. Kibera
It is roughly a distance of 6.6Km from Nairobi's Central Business District to Kibera slums. It originated as a settlement in the forests at the outskirts of Nairobi. The term “Kibera” is a Nubian term that means a forest or jungle. Nubian soldiers were rewarded with plots of land in return for their efforts in 1904 after rendering their services with the King's African Rifles (KAR).
Increasing number of poor rural migrants who moved in Nairobi for wage labour began to settle in Kibera. Residents living here lack access to basic services, high levels unemployment levels and poverty and cases of antisocial behaviours are common.
2. Mathare
It is a few kilometers from the centre of Nairobi in Mathare Constituency. Survival is a daily struggle for the fittest here. This slum is faced with lack of basic amenities, prostitution and criminal gangs that terrorize it's inhabitants. Housing is in pathetic condition as they are mainly made of rusted iron sheets.
Access to food, water and healthcare is also a major challenges for the slum dwellers.
3. Korogocho
Located in Ruaraka Constituency about 11Km from the Central Business District.
It's a Swahili term meaning “Crowded shoulder to shoulder.” Crime is endemic, and there's poor law enforcement in the slums. The slums have poor infrastructure, few resources, overcrowding, and proximity to the dump, health is inadequate.
4. Mukuru slums
Situated in an industrial zone approximately 7Km southeast of Nairobi's central business district.
The land in Mukuru remained undeveloped and was quickly settled upon by migrant families and industrial workers drawn to jobs in the neighboring industrial zone and Nairobi's city center in the 1980s. The Mukuru area includes the settlements of Mukuru Kwa Njenga, Sinai and Mukuru Kwa Reuben. The slums are faced by different challenges including crime, drug abuse, prostitution.
5. Majengo
Majengo is one of Kenya's oldest slums that has been in existence since the late 1920's.
Majengo slums and adjacent estates that lie less than 3km from Nairobi Central Business District. Prostitution is very common in the slum.
6. Kawangware
The slums lies about 15 km west of the city centre, between Lavington and Dagoretti.
Safe drinking water is inadequate to sustain the dwellers of this slum. Unemployment levels are very high. Abject poverty, poor hygiene, lack of nutrition are also common in the slum.
7. Kangemi
It's located on the outskirts of the city along Nairobi-Nakuru Highway. The slum has no sewerage. Unemployment levels in the slum are high. Drug and alcohol addiction are rife.
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