Kibera Slum Upgrading Project, Nairobi, Kenya.

Thanks for sharing @urbanplannerke #sharingisaboutcaring ··· "As of 2012 the housing deficit in Kenya stood at 2million and continues to grow at an annual rate of over 200,000 units. This can be attributed to factors such as high cost of finance; lack of serviced land; high cost of building and construction materials; inappropriate building and construction technologies; limited research on low cost building materials and construction technologies; stringent planning regulations and standards, and high cost of infrastructure.

Currently about 60% of the urban population live in informal settlements. Owing to the fact that most of the inhabitants are informal workers who earn less than 10,000 shillings per month hence cannot afford the high rents.

Efforts have been made towards slum upgrading as pictured above [below]. One of the most recent phase of Kibera slum upgrading project aimed at 900 housing units, 230 business stalls, a nursery school, a social hall, a youth centre, three solid waste handling sheds, toilet blocks and a boundary wall.

Unfortunately despite the efforts the beneficiaries of the projects usually end up renting out their houses while they find their way back into the slums. What these projects achieve therefore is slum relocation, not upgrading.

There is therefore need to involve the residents directly in these projects in the planning, design and the construction phase for them to be able to understand and appreciate rather than imposing the changes leading to slum relocation.

#housing #urbanoctober #kibera #affordablehousing #socialhousing#nairobi #kenya #africa" #cityexplorations