View of Gatwakera, Kibera Slums, Nairobi, Kenya ©kSLUM

Kibera is a slum area outside Nairobi, Kenya and is the same size as New York City's Central Park, about 1.5 square miles. At over 1 million people, the population density is 30 times that of New York City, and Kibera does not have multi-level housing. Most people living in Kibera have little or no access to basic neccessities, such as electricity, clean water, toilet facility and sewage disposal. The combination of poor nutrition and lack of sanitation accounts for many illnesses and deaths. Because of the lack of toilet facilities (1 for every 500-1000 people), two in three residents must use a "flying toilet" to defecate.

There are also over 50,000 AIDS orphans surviving in Kibera, often cared for by grandparents, over crowded orphanages, or completely unattended. For these and all children in Kibera, schooling is rare and dependant on the ebb and flow of family finances, trapping them in a cycle of poverty.

See the BBC's recent photo-report on conditions in the Kibera Slums!

The slum originated in 1920 as a Nubian soldiers' settlement. The British colonial government of the time allowed them to squat on a hillside outside Nairobi, primarily because the British felt the Nubian population could be trusted during the Kikuyu-dominated Mau Mau movement of the 1950s.

After Kenyan independence in 1963, however, various forms of housing were made illegal by the government, rendering Kibera unauthorized on the basis of land tenure. Since the tenants, who are extremely poor, are unable to obtain or rent land that is "legal" according to the Kenyan government, the slum-dwellers find the rates offered to be comparatively affordable.

Disused pit latrine that has caved in and spread waste to the surrounding area. ©kSLUM

How lack of toilets, clean water, and drainages affect the community:

Diseases such as malaria, cholera, and typhoid afflict large proportions of Kibera residents, preventing them from working, taking care of themselves and their family, and often result in death.  These diseases are caused by a lack of sanitation facilities in the slum, and spread these diseases along a combination of vectors.  The following issues most prominently contribute to the spread of these diseases.

Lack of toilet facilities and clean water: 

Cholera and Typhoid cases in Kibera are a direct result of a lack of safe toilet facilities.  Both Cholera and Typhoid are transmitted through ingestion of feces contaminated with the bacterium. The contamination usually occurs when untreated sewage is released into waterways or into groundwater, affecting the water supply, any foods washed in the water. Both Cholera and Typhoid are very debhilitating, and can last for weeks at a time, and without treatment cause death in between 10 - 50% of infected persons.

How does a lack of safe toilet facilities spread these diseases?

Without access to safe toilet facilities, many Kibera residents are forced to use public areas, most often drainage routes, to relieve themselves.  These drainage waste channels are unprotected and it is common for people, especially children, to come in contact with the waste as it travels out of the slum.  Once a person has come in contact with the Cholera or Typhoid infected waste, it is unlikely they will be able to wash their hands with clean water before cooking or eating, and therefore the bacteria spreads into their body, and the cycle begins again.

How does a lack of clean water spread these diseases?

As residents of Kibera live in structures without any plumbing facilities, clean water must be accessed from pre-filled water tanks (AKA water points), which are often controlled by landlords, and expensive for residents to use.  Since clean water is difficult to obtain, residents are often unable to wash their hands before preparing food or doing other things that can cause diseases to enter their bodies.  Also, water from contaminated water sources is sometimes used for cooking or cleaning, and this also spreads disease.  A lack of clean water is the second step in the waste-borne diseases problem in Kibera.

Lack of proper drainages:

Malaria is a severe problem in Kibera, and is particularly damaging to the community because it often causes a person to be so sick that they are unable to work, which may precipitate the loss of a job or business revenue that is vital to their family’s survival.  Malaria is also especially deadly in children.

The Malaria parasite is transmitted from person to person through the bite of a female Anopheles mosquito, which requires blood to nurture her eggs.  There are at least 300 million acute cases of malaria each year globally, resulting in more than a million deaths. Around 90% of these deaths occur in Africa, mostly in young children.  Malaria kills an African child every 30 seconds. Many children who survive an episode of severe malaria may suffer from learning impairments or brain damage. Pregnant women and their unborn children are also particularly vulnerable to malaria, which is a major cause of prenatal mortality, low birth weight and maternal anemia

How does a lack of effective drainages spread Malaria?

One of the primary factors in Malaria spread in Kibera is ineffective wastewater drainages that run thru the slum.  In many parts of Kibera, drainages are simply channels dug in the dirt, and they quickly become muddy and clogged with waste.  Residents use thedrainages to remove waste water and solids from their household area.  As the drainages are simply made of dirt they do not flow very effectively; pools of water and waste form in these channels once they are clogged, and this is where mosquitoes lay their eggs.

As drainages collect waste, they also become breeding grounds for cholera and typhoid, as well as other diseases, and since these drainages are unprotected from human contact, transmission can occur very easily, especially in children who play nearby.  Drainages can also overflow and spread onto the surrounding area, causing further contamination and disease risk.

Changing Kibera is no easy task, but as Martin says, "A thousand distance walks start with just a step..."

See Our Plans To Change The Slum This Fall -->