With Nairobi city undergoing rapid urbanisation, the growth of informal settlements is inevitable and Kibera is one of those hotspots hit by the hard facts of change.
The overpopulated informal settlements experience shortage of basic services including sanitation, and this has been attributed to the high unemployment levels, low-income and insecurity.
Households living in such settlements have turned to a variety of initiatives to improve their livelihoods, especially on food security. This has led to the emergence of urban agriculture.
However, given the shortage of formal sanitation services in many of these informal settlements, locals are frequently exposed to various environmental risks, including but not limited to biological and chemical contaminants.
In the Kibera slums, households practice sack gardening where crops such as sukumawiki are planted into large sacks filled with soil.
With the nature of farming in the slum environments, farmers and consumers are potentially exposed to a number of environmental contaminants arising from the open sewers to the uncontrolled dumping of litter.
To curb these health hazards, locals ought to therefore invest in clean water supply systems and minimise on the use of inorganic herbicides which could further heighten or lead to food poisoning.
Furthermore, the washing of greens is recommended so as to wash away external contaminants that might have landed on the edible parts.