About Kibera

Kibera is the largest slum in Nairobi and one of the largest urban slums in the world.

Kibera slum is with no doubt one of the biggest slums in the world. In Africa, it is the largest .The slum is located in Nairobi and is residence to roughly one million people sitting in a 2.5 square kilometre piece of land, living in abject poverty.

Life in the slum is extremely difficult with people still living below a dollar. Basic essentials like food, water and shelter remain out of reach for most people. Families are big with an average of 6 children per family.

Most families live in shacks build on mud walls, corrugated iron sheets or tin with a dirt or concrete floor. Most homesteads lack electricity and the few that have it are illegal connections that pose a great danger to the lives of slum dwellers. As such fire incidences are rampant within the slum.

Poverty is written all over Kibera. Most residents of Kibera barely make it past Grade 8 which is mostly lower education. This makes it extremely hard for most people to land a well-paying job rendering most as casual workers who live from hand to mouth. With lack of education, early marriages are a common phenomenon.

Social amenities and infrastructure is scarce. Playing fields constitute small dusty bare grounds. Water is sold at 5 shillings per 20 litres which is still a struggle to most families. There is a shortage of latrines and “flying toilets” remain a sad reality. Most residents cannot afford to pay each time they visit the toilets. There are fewer health facilities and many people, especially women are HIV positive.

Lack of education has rendered most people jobless with most opting for casual jobs as the only means of survival.