The Absence of Proper Sanitation
Although the Kenyan government owns all the land on which Kibera is situated, there is a severe lack of infrastructure development in the area. Water, sanitation, electrical systems, as well as paved roadways, are all virtually nonexistent. Inadequate methods of waste disposal are frequent within the slum, causing a variety of health and safety concerns for its residents. According to the Kenya’s 2010 constitution, “every Kenyan has the right to . . . reasonable standards of sanitation” (Corburn and Hildebrand, 2015). As of 2016, Kenya has developed a Sanitation and Hygiene policy aimed at improving sanitary conditions for rural and urban areas in the country. The document blames a lack of coordination among the numerous organizations and actors, who are involved with sanitation improvement, on the issue becoming a “low investment priority” and stating that only 5 percent of the country’s sewage is treated (Republic of Kenya, 2016). Many public toilets or latrines have been installed in Kibera, but are often pay-per-use.
Via Flickr
Deeply rooted causes relating to lack of sanitation infrastructure in Kibera
- Black population historically marginalized/ driven out of city centre
- racism – africans thought to be naturally dirty (as in being dirty not a problem of access to water but an inherent biological trait)
- informal housing has not ‘qualified’ for urban services/plumbing
- Colonists initiated racist legislation, but later elected governments perpetuated the same detrimental laws and practices
- Racist legislation during/after colonial rule prohibited any kind of permenant settlements. The lack of permanent housing directly affects access to proper sanitation, as there is little incentive to invest in public infrastructure/adequate latrines (by tenant or landlord) if there is little security that their house wont be torn down or they wont be evicted.
- There is little repercussion for landlords that don’t offer sanitary living conditions- directly linked to the informal nature of housing and related lack of rights for tenants.
- There is also a simple lack of space to build latrines when building is not regulated and any available land or area is used for basic shelter
- sanitation was seen as not necessary in black areas so the infrastructure was only put in place in the ‘white’ neighborhoods
- Legislation, including the public health act and the vagrancy act have been used to justify the demolition of slums citing health concerns. The real reasons have been political, economic and aesthetic. It is ironic that governments that have allowed the perpetuation of large areas of cities to go without adequate sanitation would then have the nerve to use this lack of infrastructure to justify the complete demolition of those such areas.
Corburn, J., Hildebrand, C., 2015. Slum Sanitation and the Social Determinants of Women’s Health in Nairobi, Kenya. Journal of Environmental and Public Health 2015, e209505. doi:10.1155/2015/209505
Republic of Kenya Ministry of Health. (2016).Kenyan Environmental Sanitation and Hygiene Policy 2016-2030. Available at: https://www.wsp.org/sites/wsp.org/files/publications/Kenya%20Environmental%20Sanitation%20and%20Hygiene%20Policy.pdf [Accessed 30 Mar. 2017].