Project at a glance
Duration:
Partners: Akiba Mashinani Trust (AMT), Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) and Nairobi County Water and Sewerage Company
Project Objectives
In 2020, the National Government and Nairobi County Government (NCCG) endorsed the Mukuru Special Planning Area (SPA): an overarching strategic plan that has been under development since 2017 (read more[1] ). In collaboration with various partners, the County Government subsequently embarked on the implementation of five key components of the plan (see below).
In this follow up phase, AMT and the County Government have crafted a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will establish a collaborative framework to guide all partners involved in implementation of the Mukuru SPA. This framework aims to facilitate seamless and coordinated teamwork among the stakeholders. The expectation is that the methods and systems developed through this partnership will serve as a model for replication in other informal settlements within the city.
The following five thematic clusters are the focus of the current phase of the programme:
- Water and Sanitation
Partners: AMT, Habitat for Humanity, Financial Services Deepening Trust (FSD), and World Resources Institute
Mukuru has deplorable water and sanitation conditions with only 3,863 pit latrines serving 100,561 families. This dire lack of services prompted the Nairobi County Government to commence an integrated planning process aimed at improving living conditions by providing necessary infrastructure and services. The planning process for this sector is now complete and detailed water and sanitation infrastructure designs have been developed and approved by the county. One of the short-term objectives of the plan is to provide piped water and water-borne sanitation to every plot (every ten households) and a prepaid dispenser for every 100 households.
- School Feeding Programme
Partners: AMT, TMG Research, Miramar Foundation, Mukuru Slums Development Project (MSDP)
The area covered by the Mukuru SPA has a population of approximately 400,000, including approximately 95,000 school-going children, of which only about half are currently enrolled in school. With only seven public schools in the entire SPA, there is a proliferation of non-formal and unregulated schools in the area. Currently, only 15,000 children are currently enrolled in the formal education system, and it is estimated that an additional 33,000 children attend approximately 150 non-formal schools. With these non-formal schools also locked out of the government’s school feeding programme, this has a direct impact on the food security of some of the most vulnerable children and households. Under the MoU, the partners will collaborate with Nairobi County to develop a replicable school feeding model tailored to the unique needs of non-formal schools in Mukuru SPA.
- Waste Management
Partners: AMT, Miramar Foundation
The sprawling Mukuru settlements lack effective waste management systems, resulting in unsanitary disposal of garbage in the settlement’s drainage systems. This further leads to contamination of important freshwater systems, such as the Ngong River, which flows through the Viwandani and Kwa Ruben informal settlements. This haphazard waste disposal has been identified by residents as a significant contributor to flooding during the rainy seasons. Research conducted in the area has revealed that 72.5% of all waste generated in Mukuru consists of organic matter, while 20.3% is recyclable, and 7.1% constitutes non-recyclable or hazardous materials. These findings underscore the importance of finding sustainable solutions for managing both organic and recyclable waste, which is crucial for addressing the current waste management challenges in the area.
