Friday, September 18, 2009

Another way to move out of the slums

Yesterday, we linked to a story about a microcredit bank in Kenya that is developing a livable neighborhood for former slum dwellers.

Today, we find a government program in Kenya that moves residents out of Nairobi's Kibera slum into a decent housing. Over half of the city's population lives in one of 100 Nairobi slums.

From this IRIN story that we found at Reuters Alert Net, we learn more about the step up the former slum dwellers receive.

"I can't believe I have left Kibera for good! My new home is so clean, we have a toilet inside the house; it is a dream come true," Pius Okello, 46, father of six, said.

Okello, who had lived in Kibera's Soweto East zone for 10 years, was one of those who moved on 16 September. The government provided trucks and workers to help the residents settle into their new homes, which they have dubbed 'Canaan', the Promised Land.

Kibera is one of the largest informal settlements in sub-Saharan Africa. According to HABITAT, estimates of its population range from 500,000 to 800,000, with densities of over 3,000 people per hectare - one of the most densely populated informal settlements in the world.

The monthly rent for a room in the new flats, about a kilometre from Kibera, is Ksh 500 (US$7) and tenants pay an additional Ksh300 ($4) for electricity and Ksh200 ($2.5) for water. The kitchen, toilet and bathrooms are shared but if a family takes three rooms, they get exclusive use of these facilities.

"I took three rooms because I have six children and I take care of four other children of my dead brother when schools close; at least now my wife and I have our privacy and the children have a bedroom for the first time," Okello said.

"The only problem is that I feel that water and electricity charges are high because they are charged per room; I should be charged a single fee for the whole house."

The ongoing $300,000 Kenya Slum Upgrading Programme (KENSUP) was mooted in 2000, and jointly funded by the government, UN HABITAT and the World Bank Cities Alliance.

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