Informal settlements are: commonly called slums and have the reputation of being some of the most denigrated of societies and home to some of the most impoverished and depraved of a country’s citizens.
Questions:
Where to start: Kenya’s new Constitution (2012) “Every person has the right to reasonable standards of sanitation and to clean and safe water in adequate quantities.”
Bill of Rights “Programs shall be put into place for marginalized and minority groups that ‘ensures that they participate and are represented in governance; and have reasonable access to water, health services and infrastructure.’”
o Who really lives in the informals? o Is it the poorest of the poor? or o Is it a mix of the city’s citizenry that have no other housing choices?
Questions: Methods:
o Do they have water & sanitation services? o What type, how often, and how much does it cost? o Are they employed and what type of work? o Do they have housing and/or land rights?
o Focus Group Discussions o Household Questionnaires o Mapping Surveys • Water Services • Sanitation Service • Employment Status • Tenancy Status
Results (so far): Water Water Water Water Service
Water Kiosk
Water Sources
NWSC
Water Point
Water Lines
Water Tank
Unidentified
Water Sources
26
Metered
Water Monitoring
Not Metered Unidentified
41
68
Sanitation
170
141 260
Toilets Toilets Toilets Toilet Ownership
Individual
Operation by Gender
Female
Toilet Usage
Communal
Landlord
Male
Individual
NGOs
NA or none
Private
Private
Private
Sanitation Block
Female & Male
Why We SHOULD Care
Catherine Oloo Urban & Regional Planning Masters Candidate 2014 Regional & International Development Concentration Global Health and Social Services Certificate
Advisor: Dr. Stephen Commins Client: Center for Urban Research & Innovations, University of Nairobi