Kenya: From rubbish dump to cabbage patch

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Kenya: From rubbish dump to cabbage patch

Rubbish is everywhere in Kibera, Africa's largest slum, just a fewkilometres from the centre of Nairobi. It lies not just between theramshackle dwellings, but often underneath them, rendering themvulnerable to collapse in times of flood. But the face of the slumis beginning to change as fresh vegetables spring up where trashonce lay rotting.

The youth in Kandimiru, one of the villages within the slum have,through a self-help group, established the first organic farm onwhat was once a garbage dumpsite.
"We wanted to keep the area clean so we saw it fit to have agarden," Augustine Oramisi, the chairman of the Kibera YouthInitiative for Community Development, a local umbrella body forself-help groups in Kibera, told IRIN.

Most of the youth involved in the project were involved in thepost-election clashes that rocked the slum earlier in the year,Oramisi said. "They were the most vibrant group during theskirmishes," Oramisi said. Since crime and disease is rife andunemployment is rampant, the project is seen by many as helpingreform the behaviour of the youth in the slum. "Most of the memberswere criminals who have chosen to reform," Mohammed Abdullahi, anofficial with the group, said.

"I have seen many people dying here," Abdullahi said. At least 10of the group members have been killed in crime-related activities,he said. "No one could pass here," Hussein Hassan, a member of thegroup told IRIN as he tended to a crop of spinach growing in thequarter acre garden located against a heap of garbage. Besidestending to the farm, Hassan also has a job collecting garbage inthe area. The cabbages, tomatoes, spinach, kale, pumpkin andsunflowers grown on the farm are sold locally within the slum.

Recently, the group had their first cabbage harvest. Besidesproviding food and income, the farm is also being used as a pilotproject to teach local students how to carry out land reclamation.The sprawling, unregulated slum originated during World War I, whenthe land was a temporary residence to the Nubian (Sudanese)soldiers from the King's African Rifles. The name 'Kibera' comesfrom the Nubian word 'kibra', meaning forest or jungle.

Other prevailing conditions in the slum include the lack of basicwater supplies, sanitation, solid waste management, power problems,poor roads and high population densities. According to Eric AgoroSimba, a coordinator of the youth group, residents in Kiberarequire a forum where would-be donors and aid agencies can consultwith them first to address the various challenges facing most ofthe slum's inhabitants.

"The problems [in the slums] might be big but we also have thesolutions," Agoro said. "What these people need is a push, notpity." Agoro's sentiments were echoed by Claire K Niala, a doctormobilising funds to support the farm project and other developmentprojects in the area. "They [slum dwellers] need empowerment more,"she told IRIN on 2 September. There was a need to ensure that donorfunding for slum projects actually benefited the local residents,they said. "Anything with the word 'Kibera' sells, but the moneyends up in the wrong pockets," Agoro said.

According to UN Habitat, a community-based financial framework foraccessing credit for housing and related services, such as waterand sanitation, would enable communities in the area to accessfinance for improving their living conditions and enhance theircapacity for self governance and decision making.


Source: allafrica.com/stories


Publication date: 9/4/2008