Innovative building for slum dwellers

Although there have been many slum upgrading projects in Kenya, few can boast of successfully meeting the needs of the slum dwellers. PETER MUIRURI explains why the unique Kambi Moto slum-upgrading project is making a difference to many lives in Huruma, Nairobi.

In recent times, there has been much talk about the proposed Government-sponsored slum upgrading projects, more so after the numerous tragedies in Kenya’s informal settlements.

One of the women trained in construction hard at work. [Photos: Peter Muiruri/Standard]

To the slum dwellers, however, the Government seems to be spending too much time and resources on the "planning" phase and too little on the actual execution of the projects.

In view of this, slum residents have come up with ingenious ways of erecting low-cost, permanent houses.

"Rather than adopt policies drafted in big offices, community-driven slum upgrading projects are designed to involve slum dwellers in all phases of proposed developments. For the upgrade to succeed, there must be consensus from all members within the settlements," says Ezekiel Rema, President of Muungano wa Wanavijiji, a forum representing residents of the more than 400 informal settlements in the country that coordinates daily saving activities aimed at helping members access vital resources.

Pamoja Trust and Jamii Bora are among the pioneering entities spearheading such community-based projects.

Pamoja Trust was formed at the height of the forced evictions of the 1990s and early 2000 and seeks to secure access to land and other basic amenities for the urban poor.

"Slum dwellers have always been easy targets of forced evictions since they have no security of tenure on the land occupied by their shacks. We are mobilising the communities to form officially recognised cooperatives that can be granted leasehold documents," says Margret Matheka, Programme Officer in charge of housing at Pamoja Trust.

The organisation is partnering with Muungano wa Wanavijiji, not only in addressing the housing problem, but also in helping slum dwellers initiate income generating projects.

Decent houses

"There is a misconception that slum upgrading only involves the construction of houses. But people must be assisted in starting small projects that will provide adequate sustenance and help them repay the home loans," says Rema.

Pamoja Trust, together with other community-based stakeholders, is facilitating the construction of low-cost houses in six settlements within Huruma in Nairobi. These are Kambi Moto, Mahira, Gitathuru, Ghetto, Redeemed and Ex-Grogan.

About 86 units have already been completed and occupied in Kambi Moto village while construction works are ongoing in the other settlements. Several starter units have already been erected in Ghetto Village that has a capacity of holding 570 units.

"Enormous projects are being planned for Mukuru and Mathare slums in Nairobi while similar upgrading projects are coming up in other slums countrywide, including Athi River, Mombasa, Kisumu and Timau," Matheka says.

While touring the various sites, Home & Away met several women, who have been trained in construction skills, busy assembling concrete ceiling beams and slabs.

Cyrus Mwangi, Pamoja Trust Site Manager in charge of the Huruma slum projects, extols the virtues of involving women in the projects.

"Women understand more the importance of the entire family having a decent roof over its head. We have trained them on how to make moulds and erect the concrete beams and slabs. We also pay them Sh85 per slab so that they, too, can make daily savings that will eventually enable them own the homes," says Mwangi.

According to him, using residents to assemble such materials on site reduces labour and transportation costs by 60 per cent.

The slum upgrading project incorporates a unique model whereby the units are constructed to take advantage of vertical rather than horizontal space. This means a homeowner has a sitting room on the ground floor with two bedrooms on the two upper floors.

"It would have been impossible to have 86 units on one acre of land here in Kambi Moto had we adopted the conventional method of having all utilities on one floor," says Kitheka.

The local community-based projects follow the pattern of similar successful developments in India, South Africa and Malawi.

Before any upgrading project can take place, proper enumeration of beneficiaries must take place to ensure that only genuine tenants and structure owners benefit from the projects.

Each unit costs between Sh150,000 to Sh200,000, with potential homeowners required to raise a ten per cent down payment and the local Muungano Savings Group lending the individual a further ten per cent. The remaining 80 per cent comes from the credit agency Akiba Mashinani Trust.

The homeowner is expected to gradually pay off the loan by means of the daily savings scheme with an interest rate of six per cent.

The Ministry of Housing says it is willing to take such organisations of goodwill on board. According to assistant minister Margaret Wanjiru, the more institutions, the merrier.

"Apart from formulating policy, the ministry also acts as a facilitator to such organisations that are ready to lend a helping hand in the slum upgrading projects," says Wanjiru.

However, residents in these areas would like the Government to improve the deteriorating infrastructure within the slums and help arbitrate the numerous conflicts between tenants and structure owners who have been demanding a higher share of the upgraded homes.