Prof Diana Mitlin spoke to Jack Makau (Director of Slum Dwellers International in Kenya) and Joseph Muturi (community leader, activist and Coordinator of the Kenyan Slum Dwellers Federation) when they were visiting Manchester to guest lecture on GDI’s innovative “Citizen Led Development” course. They discuss the challenges faced by slum dwellers, such as the lack of secure tenure rights, access to basic services and threat of violent evictions – and how community organising and activism is allowing people living in informal settlements to effect change and make their voices heard. Jack and Joe also talk about building partnerships with city and national government, collaborating with researchers to quantify the ‘poverty penalty’ in Mukuru, and not putting too much hope in politicians.
For more on Jack and Joseph and their work:
- Slum Dwellers International Kenya
- Muungano wa Wanavijiji (Swahili for ‘united slum dwellers’)
- @Wanavijiji
For more on urban development at GDI:
- Prof Diana Mitlin
- Scaling Up Participatory Planning Research Network
- Global Urbanism Research Group
- Upgrading informal settlements – Mukuru to point the way blog by Diana Mitlin
Further reading:
- Improving Access to Justice and Basic Services in the Informal Settlements of Nairobi: Mukuru ‘Poverty Penalty’
- Railway Relocation Action Plan Design by UPFI
- @MukuruSPA Mukuru Special Planning Area on Twitter
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Note: This article gives the views of the author/academic featured and does not represent the views of the Global Development Institute as a whole