Growth of a shanty town. (Report on a visit to Kuwinda). (1989, June 14).

OVERVIEW

Less than a kilometer down a very rough access road off Langata Road in the suburbs of Nairobi is tucked the tiny two-acre shanty town of Kuwinda. Its tightly packed shacks begin just past the metal Presbyterian Church of East Africa that, along with neighboring Roman Catholic and Central Province of Kenya (Anglican) parishes—and at least one internal, indigenous church—serve the religious life of this community.

A small, open area in the rear of the village, a "main street," and a corner, muddy drainage pond are the only open areas between tightly congested hovels. Without toilet and garbage facilities, paths between the houses are a muddy trail. Rocks enable agile walkers to pick their way through the mud. Chickens, ducks, and some animals join the human struggle for survival here and add to the litter.

How has such a shanty town come to be in such a lush suburban area as Langata and Karen? Before 1963 this was part of Mrs. Fosdick’s 25-acre farm. When the farm was sold to a company, she gave her thirteen farm workers the two acres on which they lived. Their families grew and they were joined by friends until the barely-two-acres-site had become home for an additional four thousand people!

The town is fairly quiet during the day. Mothers tend to babies and chores; small children hang around or find small games to play. The older children venture to local schools, and many leave for work. Those who remain work as carpenters, shop owners, brewers of chang’aa or helpers in these projects. There is a grocery shop, many vegetable stands, a butcher, shoe store, repair shops, and a doctor along the main thoroughfare. The doctor’s sign declares the diseases he can treat—asthma, diarrhea, malaria, etc. Late afternoon sees the return of the children and then the workers. A few small kids play in the filth of the drainage mud. It is time to begin eating and drinking.

In front of the butchery stands a vivacious and attractive young woman who, while drinking, puffs a cigarette in her hand. Seeing a clergyman, she laughs, "You have come to pray for me. You must come tomorrow in the morning before I start drinking. Now it is too late. God does not want me like this. I am doing too many wrong things. So come back tomorrow early!" Her loud talking attracts attention and those nearby smile. It is the happiest scene of the tour.

By 7:00 p.m. drinking in social centers or homes has made the town more rowdy, and it is not a safe place for visitors. The town is governed by an elder who reports to the sub-chief of Karen.

What do the people of this town say they need? They wish for better housing, a proper sanitation system, and health facilities. Their greatest concern is the insecurity of their position. Though they were given the land, they have no proper title deed. The company has repeatedly tried to locate these folks toward Ngong. The response of the four thousand is a determined no!

The town elder came here in the early 1960s as a young man and settled. His wife and children are here, as is his sister. Folks have been born here, married, and had children. Family and ancestors have died here. It is home. "We will even buy up the entire 25 acres," they say.

There are a few kwaheris as one leaves the village—especially from a few curious children who are admiring the old Peugeot. Turning onto the tarmac west after the bumpy exit, one passes the 300- and 200-acre holdings of Nairobi politicians. Land in this area goes for at least 1 million Kenyan shillings an acre. How will these folks get the thirty million they need to buy—and what would be the response of developers and bureaucrats to the spread of such a town?

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

1. If you had worked hard as a professional or politician to provide a comfortable home for your family, how would you feel about such a town next door or down the road?
2. Should this town be near yours, how should or would your church and social services respond to its presence? What kind of help is most helpful? What kind of help is counterproductive?
3. What do you think government should do about such shanty towns?
4. Are the size and problems of such spontaneous human settlements growing or diminishing in the later years of this century?