How slum fire sparked idea of safe homes

Several years ago, a fierce fire razed down more than 100 houses in Nairobi’s Mukuru slums, rendering many dwellers homeless. Surprisingly, in the midst of all the ensuing debris stood two toilets that had withstood the raging fire. This spectacle drew the curiosity of two innovators, Winnie Gitau and Simon Dixon.

The toilets had been constructed by Sanergy/Freshlife, a company that Mr Dixon was working for, to improve sanitation in slums.

So why did the inferno fail to raze down the two structures? The duo discovered that fire-resistant panels had been used to construct them. And just like that, a bright idea took root in the minds of Mr Dixon and Ms Gitau.

In the ashes of the destroyed structures, they saw an opportunity to help slum dwellers build fireproof houses using similar panels. In the last four months, there have been several slum fires in Nairobi that have left a trail of destruction.

Using their own savings and support from friends and family, they formed Kwangu Kwako three years ago.

“We looked at other materials, including concrete, but none could fit all the criteria of cost, fire resistance, security... The materials had to be thin as well, as thick walls take up too much space for slum structures,” said Ms Gitau.

“After six months of setting up the enterprise, we got a deal with two early stage impact investors HRSV (a Dutch family foundation) and Engineers Without Borders, Canada,” said Ms Gitau.

With that financial boost, the two have gone on to build 33 units.

Raw materials

“We manufacture the panels ourselves at our facility at Sameer Africa. We source raw materials from Industrial Area and Mlolongo,” she told Business Daily.

“Everything we use is sourced from Kenya as we want to create jobs and promote our economy.”

The standard dimension for their houses are 10ft x 10ft to 12ft x 12ft single rooms to fit with the typical sizes in low-income areas.

“We have also built a three-room house in Ngong, a community room 18ft x 13ft in Kibera and an open plan office 20ft x 20ft in Athi River,” she said.

Their focus is on homes for now, with plans to build kiosks and classrooms which are all affected by fires.

The trailblazing efforts by Kwangu Kwako, who are looking to build 100 more units this year, have not gone unnoticed. Early this year the company was among the three Kenyan start-ups crowned the continent's top winners for an award that recognises entrepreneurs having social impact.