We had a lot of meetings in Nairobi and were pretty busy, but we made time to visit Kibera Slum. It is the poorest suburb in Nairobi and one of the largest slums in Africa. More than a million people live there in extreme conditions and make less than $1 daily.
Diseases caused by poor hygiene are common. Fresh water is scarcely available, and some is collected from the Nairobi dam. This leads to many cases of cholera and typhoid, as the water is not clean. Locals live in small shacks built with mud and concrete, often housing up to eight or more people. Just 20% of Kibera has electricity, mostly illegally connected and sold by the local mafia.
Due to high levels of unemployment, drinking Changaa is a popular pastime. Changaa is a cheap and strong alcoholic drink widely available there. The Swahili translation of the word Changaa is “kill me quick.” Unfortunately, it is usually not prepared correctly, with a high level of Methanol. The consumption of Changaa and the use of drugs often lead to an increase in violence, crime, and rape in the slum.
It is not a place where tourists go and definitely not a place where we could walk on our own. It is very dangerous, and we would probably get lost there. So we hired a local young guy to walk us around.
