Kangemi is a peri-urban area in

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

located in Westlands Sub-county in Nairobi County, on the outskirts of the city. It is bordered on the north by the middle-class neighbourhoods of Loresho and Kibagare and Westlands on the west. Its southern border connects with

Kawangware Kawangware () is a low income residential area in Nairobi, Kenya, about 15 km west of the city centre, between Lavington and Dagoretti. Description According to the 2009 Kenya Population and Housing Census, Kawangware's population was 133, ...

, a large slum and its eastern border connects to Mountain View, another middle-class enclave. It is on the road connecting

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

with Naivasha. Kangemi has more than 100,000 residents. While it is a multi-ethnic slum, the largest group of residents consists of the

Luhya Luhya or Abaluyia may refer to: * Luhya people * Luhya language {{disambig Language and nationality disambiguation pages ...

tribe, who are majorly tenants attracted to Kangemi's low-cost rental houses and accessibility to employment opportunites mostly labor based However, the indigenous community is the Kikuyu tribe that owns the land and rental houses that other tribes live in. The Kikuyu have lived in Kangemi having moved from Dagoretti, Muranga and other areas in pre-colonial and colonial times and have established clans and family there. Kangemi is located in a small valley. The slum has no

sewerage Sewerage (or sewage system) is the infrastructure that conveys sewage or surface runoff ( stormwater, meltwater, rainwater) using sewers. It encompasses components such as receiving drains, manholes, pumping stations, storm overflows, and scr ...

. About 20,000 persons belong to a Catholic parish based in Kangemi. The St. Joseph Catholic Parish is one of the places

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

visited during his visit to Africa between 26 and 30 November 2015, of which Kenya was his first stopover. He visited Kangemi on 27 November 2015. He met with the community and gave an address. Kangemi High School exists in Kangemi.

References

{{coord missing, Kenya Suburbs of Nairobi Slums in Kenya Squatting in Kenya

See also

References