Jami Makan
6 October 2008
Nairobi — Several weeks ago, residents of a wealthy Nairobi neighbourhood along United Nations Avenue had an unpleasant surprise.
Teams of unidentified workers entered the nearby Karura Forest and started cutting down trees with chain saws. The workers arrived in unmarked lorries which took away the trees.
"At first we thought they were just clearing away bushes...but then we saw the tall trees falling over," said Mr Abdul Shakoor, a 75-year-old resident.
Slum residents
"We can now see right across the other side of the forest, which was not possible before they cut down the trees," he said.
Around the same time, a group of journalists were talking to Lunga Lunga slum residents near Industrial Area on the other side of the city.
The reporters, who had been invited by the National Environment Management Authority, were being told of a Government proposal to resettle the squatters and install proper sanitation systems.
A representative of the environmental body explained that the pit latrines were polluting River Nairobi, causing illnesses, especially among children.
Every single day all over Nairobi, trees are being chopped down, both legally and illegally, to make way for new residential and commercial developments.
Meanwhile, rivers are being polluted by slum-dwellers who, because of desperate economic circumstances, have no other option.
These are just two of the many negative effects of rapid urbanisation on Nairobi's natural environment.
Monday was World Habitat Day and the United Nations and civil society took the opportunity to warn Kenyans that cities should not expand at the expense of the environment.
Find jobs
They also said that informal settlers should have access to basic services like water and electricity so that they do not exploit the environment.
"Our rapidly urbanising world cannot claim to be harmonious if slum dwellers do not enjoy opportunities to find jobs and improve their living conditions...nor will it be harmonious if the growth and expansion of urban areas comes at the expense of the environment," said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in remarks commemorating World Habitat Day.
In Kenya, celebrations were held in Kakamega where a UN-Habitat representative explained that urban problems are particularly damaging to countries in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
"In these places, cities have deteriorated over the past 20 years...Kenya is just one example," said Mr Daniel Biau, the Nairobi-based director of the Regional and Technical Cooperation Division.
Rural areas
"In Kenya, land has not been made affordable to low-income earners and there is a lack of investment in public infrastructure...meanwhile, the number of cars has increased while roads have not improved," he explained.
Mr Biau said that Kenya's politicians have put off dealing with these challenges because a large percentage of the population still lives in rural areas.
"There is insufficient political will to address these problems," he said.
In remarks in the Daily Nation yesterday, Housing minister Soita Shitanda said: "As we celebrate the day, it is imperative to reflect on the state of our urban areas, particularly the provision of basic services such as housing."
At a property expo in Nairobi last week, the minister called on the housing sector to protect ordinary Kenyans from the global financial crisis.
He said that despite the worldwide credit crunch, mortgage lenders should continue giving Kenyans access to money to build new homes.
"I know that many mortgage lending institutions are anxious about the global economic crisis, but let us continue enabling Kenyans to access funds to build houses," he said.
But a number of civil society organisations have criticised the Government for failing to provide low-income housing.
"To what extent has the Government helped poor people access housing? If you are talking about harmonious cities, you obviously need to have Kenyans living in houses," said Mr Francis Anyenda, a programme manager at Shelter Forum, which helps communities enhance living conditions.
According to Mr Anyenda, whose group also works to influence Government policies through research and surveys, "there is a shortfall of 150,000 houses in Kenya...the Government and other players can only afford up to 30,000 units right now."
But urbanisation problems are not confined to the less affluent parts of Kenya. In the neighbourhoods of Kitusuru, Lavington, Gigiri and Karura, new developments have brought negative consequences for the environment and bare, flat stretches of land where trees used to stand tall are now a common sight.
In one sense, these realities, as disturbing as they are, carry some hope. They mean that all Kenyans, regardless of economic standing, are affected equally by problems of urbanisation. If we all work together, not just on World Habitat Day but on every single day, progress can be made to save the country.
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Hi all i was last year in Kenya and loved it . The country has huge possibilities for growth . My interest is in the housing building sector and roads . I would love to get my teeth into Nairobi as a start . While i build i love nature and i bring the two together . I have my own building business in South Africa and have given a lot of thought to how best improve on what is there . Jobs, training , development of housing , roads it excites me . Could you imagine training over 20 000 local people in building who in turn employ and train the same . It is mad you could in five years have employed and helped start a wave of work , new local well trained business owners constructing a new future . In five years you would have built more than the housing shortage and the program would be rolled out nationally . The knock on effect would be huge . I suppose it is all but a dream for me , that i could make a difference as one man in Kenya . It would take a local person of great vision and resource to back a dream of this magnitude . I will be back soon to visit and thank you for the opportunity to say something of small value . Regards Allan Edwards