The torching of homes in the Mathare slums last weekend was merely one of the incidents that contributes to making life intolerable in our shantytowns.
The revenge attacks by youths which left scores of slum dwellers homeless after 30 houses were torched by vigilantes was another manifestation that the police lost the fight to maintain law and order in informal settlements like Mathare a long time ago.
That is why some vigilantes would take the law into their hands and seek retribution because one of their neighbours was stabbed to death in what police have described as a random robbery.
Although the police have discounted reports that the attacks may have been politically motivated, such reports cannot be so casually dismissed without thorough investigations into the cyclical episodes of violence in slums every time the General Elections approach.
But more significantly, the harrowing tales of suffering in informal settlements are increasing — the high incidences of tragedies, particularly fires, in such slums are alarming and their causes must be addressed to allow all Kenyans, particularly the poor and vulnerable groups, to enjoy basic rights to shelter, food and security.
In March, fires swept through the slums of Mathare and Kibera destroying up to 700 homes at a time housing ministers were attending the African Ministerial Conference of Housing and Development in Nairobi to discuss the need to ensure that slum dwellers have access to proper services.
Kibera, which is one of Africa’s largest informal settlements, has offered a stark reminder that policymakers cannot continue to exclude slums from their plans and budgets. Fires in this slum and other similar settlements are often difficult to put out or contain because authorities have little access to areas that are engulfed in flames.
Treating symptoms
Often, homes are poorly constructed and the building material used is of inferior quality. Electricity connections, where they exist, are unsafe. This becomes a tinderbox when such settlements are overcrowded.
The absence of proper roads and lack of access to water have contributed to fires spreading to shanties very quickly. Correspondingly, fire services agencies in most parts of the country are too poorly equipped to offer adequate interventions.
But it is not just fires that make life in informal settlements unendurable, the high levels of crime, the poor sanitation and the lack of adequate schools create great apathy and despondency.
They starkly illustrate the need of the government and local authorities to address the inadequate housing conditions and ensure that all people are able to enjoy the right to live somewhere in security and dignity.
Therefore, before seeking to treat the symptoms of the troubles in Mathare, first fix the underlying causes of poverty, illiteracy, lack of town planning, affordable, low-cost housing and historical injustices compounded by the politics of exclusion.
