It is time that government got its act together and made policy determination of how to deal with the reality that is Kenya’s informal settlements.
I recently wrote about regularising tenure rights in informal settlements. In less than a month, the fire tragedy at Kijiji slum in Langata occurred underscoring the urgency of the task.
A fire that was exacerbated by poor and unplanned supply of electricity to one of Nairobi’s informal settlements left six people dead, several injured and property of unknown value destroyed by the fire.
As expected, the political class ran to the sight, condoled with the families and promised to support with reconstruction efforts.
A figure of Sh60 million was even quoted as having been set aside to support families affected by the fire tragedy. The Nairobi County Government, on its part, suspended officers it accused of being negligent in responding to the tragedy.
While support for those in grief is gracious and normal, we cannot deal with the problem in informal settlements through reactive and temporary solutions. It is time that government got its act together and made policy determination of how to deal with the reality that is Kenya’s informal settlements.
As a resident of an informal settlement quipped in a forum I attended last year, these areas are not about to disappear from Kenya. The sooner we wake up to this reality and start grappling with how to respond to the challenges they pose, the better for us.
First, urgent planning is necessary in the informal settlements but also in the wider city of Nairobi. Planning is the foundation of effective service delivery. Without proper planning, it is not possible to have orderly development.
For long, the provision of basic services like water and electricity has been founded on the completion of development planning.
Since informal settlements are largely unplanned, they lack access to safe and reliable water and electricity. However, they still end up having these services and in some cases paying even more than those who live in planned parts of the city.
It is clear that failure to provide these services through normal and official channels not only exacerbate informal channels, it promotes a thriving illegal trade and exposes the residents of these areas to health hazards and threats to their lives.
The recent fire tragedy was not accidental. It was the expected outcome of our actions. The sooner we make provision for these services to the residents of informal settlements the better.
Questions must also be asked of Nairobi county government. Devolution promised more accessible services and improvement in the lives of residents.
One electoral cycle later, with a complete master plan for Nairobi, two County Integrated Development Plans, the residents of Nairobi’s informal settlements deserve answers on what devolution can deliver for them.
It is not enough to issue statements and make occasional donations. The county government of Nairobi must come up with a clear strategy for responding to the plight of those living in informal settlements.
Many years ago, the German government supported a slum upgrading process. This was followed by another support initiative from UN Habitat.
Despite all these initiatives, there is still not much to show in terms of improvement in the living conditions of those in these areas. The county government must realise that this key constituency deserves service. It cannot afford to ignore this problem any longer.
Our emergency response is the other area which cries out for urgent interventions.
We have to stop living a humanitarian approach to disasters, where we wait for events to happen, demonstrate our philanthropy, empathise with those involved in the tragedy, set aside funds for their plight and then go back to slumber land waiting for the next disaster to happen.
The case of informal settlements is one that must be solved now before another fire breaks out.
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