Kibera Soweto, East

The Kibera slum is slowly upgrading its housing from mud, dirt, sticks, and rusted tin to ominous concrete. Above is a view of Kibera Soweto we took while visiting last fall. In the skyline you see the houses being constructed by the Government and UN Habitat; below lay the rooftops of the slum residents that are to move into the new houses.

The idea is that as they move out and into the new houses it frees up more space for the Government and UN Habitat to build more housing under a program called KENSUP, Kenya Slum Upgrading Program. Ideally, the process continues until Kibera and other slums throughout Kenya are no longer a slums. The Government has long claimed that all residents in Kibera – what’s thought to be around a million people – are squatter on Government land. For nearly 50 years the Government has largely abandoned this land and now is beginning to reclaim the land and provide affordable housing for the residents. (more)

Kenya