This is an article prepared by Douglas Namale and published in February 2011 edition of the Kibera Journal. Douglas is a journalist and Editor of the Kibera Journal. He joined Map Kibera in November 2009 to continue contributing to the creation of community information. The article has been posted here with his permission.
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By Douglas Namale
Melinda Gates has added her voice on the significance of having a map in Kibera as a tool for development.
‘When you map where you stay, it marks the beginning of development’ said Melinda as she addressed delegates at TEDx for Change at Kibera Mchanganyiko hall. She said it’s vital to know how many people live around you since this will form the beginning of lobbying for change. According to her, the mapping project has necessitated many things which majority couldn’t understand without a map.
“Its absurd to note that for many years Kibera has appeared on the map as a forest, till the mapping project which has now revealed different facilities present in Kibera,†she added.
Other delegates voiced their interest in seeing Kibera change. Governance Consultant John Githongo said it’s vital for the state to recognize and value the dignity of its citizenry other than leaving them to despair. Githongo noted that Kenya was quickly turning into a very weak nation polarized by cultural differences and ethnicity something that rendered wananchi vagabonds in their own country.
Bad governance was pointed out as the reason behind the sprawling slums with little attention given to the inhabitants. Salim Mohamed, a budding youth leader and co- founder of Carolina for Kibera blamed NGOs rivalries as one of the reasons behind little development despite 534 NGOs working in Kibera. He pointed out international economic order as a solution to the proliferation of CBOs and NGOs doing almost nothing, despite billions of dollars spent to improve the living standard of people living in Kibera. Mohamed said there was need for NGOs to work together and support each other for any meaningful change to be realized. His sentiments were echoed by Umande Trust CEO, Josiah Omotto. Omotto added that true partnerships and sharing of information will help to mitigate key issues bedeviling the Nairobi slum. He too pointed on bad governance, corruption and lack of transparency and accountability as factors leading to the spread of the slum.
Map Kibera has just embarked on the use of the map to develop the Kibera slum. Already, the team has started up a conversation with the City Council of Nairobi and Kibera Councilors on the need to identify map and name the roads in Kibera. This will make sure that the slum is accessible during emergencies like fire and sickness.
Already, some progress has been made. Among the five councilors representing Kibera at city hall, four have already showed interest and one has already linked us with District commissioner’s office and another NGO interested in building sanitation blocks in Kibera.