Stop growth of slums in towns, UN Habitat chief tells Government

By Peter Orengo

The Government should stop growth of slums in urban centres, UN Habitat Executive Director Anne Tibaijuka has said.

Dr Tibaijuka said although urbanisation was irreversible, the Government should speed up the slum upgrading programme.

She added that more than half of Nairobi residents live in slums.

"Slums in many cities are no longer marginalised neighbourhoods housing small urban population. They are the dominant settlement. Urbanisation is here to stay," said Tibaijuka.

She urged heads of State to be involved in slum prevention and upgrading in cities. Increasing resources to slum upgrading projects, she said, could achieve this.

Affordable housing

"Unless radical efforts are made to provide a range of affordable housing, our towns will swell with slum dwellers. Allocation of more funds will help improve infrastructure in the slums," she said.

Tibaijuka was speaking yesterday during an international tripartite conference on Urbanisation Challenges and Poverty Reduction in Africa at UN offices in Gigiri, Nairobi.

Ministers from Africa, Caribbean and Pacific countries attended the conference.

Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka, who graced the occasion, said Kenya’s experience was not different from situations elsewhere.

"Slums are growing at an alarming rate as more people move to the cities and town in search of employment and other opportunities," said Mr Kalonzo.

Kenya’s urban population is at 40 per cent. Nairobi hosts Africa’s biggest slum, Kibera, with an estimated one million people.

Others are Mathare, Korogocho, Mukuru, Soweto and other sprawling settlements in and around Nairobi.