Kawangware () is a low income

residential A residential area is a land used in which houses, housing predominates, as opposed to industrial district, industrial and Commercial Area, commercial areas. Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include ...

area in

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 ...

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. ...

, 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 133,286 people at this time. It is estimated that 65% of the population are children and youths. Most inhabitants live on less than $2 (although they earn in shillings) a day and unemployment is high; many are self-employed traders. There is a diversity of ethnic backgrounds. Kawangware slum has more posho mills than bars, making it an ‘ugali nation’ for its over 130,000 mouths whose palates, unlike those of other Nairobians, have no time for supermarket ''unga'', the grade-one sifted maize meal favoured by middle-class stomachs. Kawangware has a scarcity of safe

drinking water Drinking water or potable water is water that is safe for ingestion, either when drunk directly in liquid form or consumed indirectly through food preparation. It is often (but not always) supplied through taps, in which case it is also calle ...

. Water supplied by the city authority is not available every day or it's otherwise expensive. There are

waterborne diseases Waterborne diseases are conditions (meaning adverse effects on human health, such as death, disability, illness or disorders) caused by pathogenic micro-organisms that are transmitted by water. These diseases can be spread while bathing, washing ...

, respiratory pneumonia, and

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

as well as an increase in cases of

airborne disease Airborne transmission or aerosol transmission is Transmission (medicine), transmission of an infectious disease through small particulates, particles suspended in the air. Infectious diseases capable of airborne transmission include many of c ...

s due to the poor

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 ...

system in Kawangware. The local residents do heavy low-income jobs to sustain their standards of living. Kawangware has supermarkets, a

library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

, a medical clinic, and the Kawangware Primary School, Kawangware School, Baxter Family Center of Hope and Kawangware Academy. However, many children in the slum do not attend school.

References

{{coord, 1, 17, S, 36, 45, E, display=title, region:KE_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki Shanty towns in Kenya Suburbs of Nairobi Squatting in Kenya

Description

See also

References