Summary
In two villages of Kibera slums community members formed grass root committees to tackle their problems. Haki Group facilitated problem and solution identification sessions and together with the committees they organised a community forum, also attended by the relevant authorities, where committee members could present their issues and receive immediate answers.
Problem analysis
The process of claim making/campaigning was conducted in 2 villages of Kibera slums: Mashimoni and Kianda villages. The community members were involved and actively participated in problem identification activities at village level and the community members nominated some members to form grass root committees to represent each village. The committee members were mandated to represent citizen issues and communicate back. The committee members mobilised the community in a forum to identify situations/problems that need to be improved.
Some of the situations/problems identified in Kianda and Mashimoni Village:
1. Insecurity and security lights – there is need for more security lights in dark places to reduce cases of mugging. The lights would also help business people who work till late at night.
2. Revenue - high taxes by the county council officers have become a menace to the business people. There is need to regulate the increased taxes every now and then.
3. Lack of government health facilities - Kibera slums with all the 13 villages has only 1 government hospital, the rest of the health facilities are NGO based hospitals and individual business health facilities. The only government hospital has inadequate facilities, no ambulance or specially trained health workers (doctors, nurses), no health provider trained to attend to people with special needs e.g. the deaf and blind, no Comprehensive Care Centre for persons living with HIV.
4. Education - inadequate public schools as compared to the high number of children living in the slum. Enrolment of children with disabilities in public schools remains a challenge in Mashimoni village. The nearest (and only) public school that enrols children with disabilities is in Woodley Golf course ward, about 3 kilometres away from Mashimoni village. There is therefore a need for special schools.
5. Garbage collection - litter is seen everywhere on the roadside and drainage systems blocked since the services were stopped. There is a need for the county government to intervene and allocate a designated area for dumping garbage.
6. Water and drainage systems – cholera out-breaks are frequent in Mashimoni due to poor and uncoordinated water and drainage system. Unorganised connected water pipes burst and mix with sewer, causing health hazards.
Solution analysis
1. Improving the only Government health facility in Kibera to a 24 hours operation facility with all equipment to support maternity services and an ambulance.
2. Government to consider either to regulate Early Childhood Development(ECD) centre to give quality services at affordable rate or Government to construct public primary school in Kibera slums to avoid children aged 4 and below walking long distance to access ECD services in public schools.
3. All public schools to have integration programme to allow enrolment of children with disability in their schools or government to construct school for children with special needs.
4. Opening up garbage drop point and /or support organised youth groups to collect garbage and drop at a one central point for easy collection by NCC trucks.
5. County Government should consider setting disaster response office including firefighting engines around Kibera sub-county and educating community on fire response to rescue people of Kibera during fire outbreak.
Stakeholder analysis
Which stakeholders (NGO’s, government, private sector) did you identify as allies and how did you involve them?
Allies identified were organisations that champion advocacy activities, like KANCO, Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, Haki Jamii and CREAW, Independent Policing Oversight Authority.
Which stakeholders did you identify as neutral and how did you mobilise them?
National police service, Elimu yetu coalition, Kenya National Union of Teachers, Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, Transparency International-Kenya, AMREF, MSF, M-KOPA Solar, Carolina For Kibera, Constituency AIDS Control Committee, County Health/Medical Services, Country Director of Education, Science & Technology, Member of Parliament (MP) – Kibra Constituency, Members of County Assembly of the 4 wards in Kibera.
Which stakeholders did you identify as opponents and why were they opposed?
The opponents identified were informal schools and Early Childhood Development centres managed by individuals, churches and organisations for income generation, and private health institutions. These institutions opposed the process of engaging duty bearers to deliver services so that they could remain in the business of exploiting the community in health and education.
How did you involve your beneficiaries in the stakeholder analysis/campaign?
The grass root committees representing the community beneficiaries were involved in the identification of stakeholders through planning meetings.
Short description of the organisation implementing the action/campaign
Haki Group is a Community Based Organisation formed in 2007 to mitigate the effects of HIV and AIDS in the informal settlement of Kibera slums in Nairobi. In Kibera slums, people live in abject poverty with low household income resulting in high numbers of school dropouts due to lack of schools fees, many cases of malnutrition and a high prevalence rate of HIV, these being among other social economic pertinent problems. Haki Group uniquely focuses on improving household income by mobilising residents of Kibera to join village based Group Savings and Loan schemes where they pull their own little income into a loan fund, they access soft loans to start up and run an income generating enterprise. Haki Group enhances their business growth through financial literacy, mentorship sessions and psychosocial support sessions. In the last one year, the organisation improved household income of 688 families through Group Savings and Loan concept, including 160 single young mothers with support from Kenya Community Development Foundation (KCDF), facilitated access to education to 1.211 orphans and other vulnerable children and improved psychological wellbeing of 221 families living with HIV through community based support group.
Action period
October 2015 – July 2016
Objectives
The 'Increasing community participation for quality service delivery' project aims to
enhance citizen participation through claim making processess for service delivery and accountability by the duty bearers and other service providers.
Action results
The community demanded more public schools, but it was made clear that most issues raised, such as the laptop project, employment of qualified teachers and building of more schools, were not the responsibility of the County Government but the responsibility of the National Government. The County Government is tasked with the role of overseeing matters to do with Early Childhood Development (ECD) as per the constitution of Kenya.
Regarding the complaints about the rampant sewer leakages into the schools, members of the community were informed that the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company was well informed about the situation and is looking into the matter to deal with the leakages. The area Member of Parliament promised to follow up with NCWSC on that matter to ensure the problem is addressed.
Regarding the poor response to fire tragedies by Kenya Power, the community was assured that Kenya Power was in the process of establishing their emergency response unit in Kibera and they had already identified 3 locations in Kibera areas where they would set up their offices. The Officer present assured the community that by the end of 2016, these offices would be fully set up and operational.
On the same note, the area MP assured citizens of Kibera that his office, in conjunction with the office of the Governor, will look into having a fire-fighters truck stationed at Moi Nairobi Girls High School or Dagoretti Corner. He was going to ensure this is accomplished by the end of the year 2016.
On health services, the area MP explained that through the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) which is in the process of being restructured and changed into the National Government Development Fund, it would be possible to make a budget allocation to purchase a Government Ambulance for Kibra DO clinic which will be used to cater to the needs of the Kibera Community.
Description of preparatory activities
1. Educating organisation staffs on mobilising support and formation of staff team to implement the campaign.
2. Community sensitisation on claim making (mobilising support) and formation of community grass root committee elected by community members.
3. Develop action plan.
4. Continuous planning meetings.
5. Invitation of duty bearers and other service providers for community dialogue forum.
6. Evaluation.
7. Follow up.
Description of implementation
1. One Haki Group staff who received a Change the Game Academy training in Mobilising Support (Change the Game) educated other staffs on Mobilising Support.
2. The staff team that was selected to lead the implementation mobilised the community for sensitisation on claim making and helped them to identify issues affecting their lives and areas where they are underserved. The community members selected a committee to conduct the campaign process.
3. The grass root committee members and organisation staffs then met to develop an action plan.
4. The committee conducted several planning meetings to identify allies and opponents, meetings with the allies, identification of service providers, and organising for community dialogue.
5. On setting the date for the community dialogue forum, the committee developed invitation letters for the duty bearers and service providers, based on the identified issues affecting the beneficiaries.
6. The committee conducted an evaluation meeting to ascertain the outcome and impact of the campaign and draw up a plan for follow-up.
7. Follow up is an ongoing process.
Description of time investmen
Approximately 2 months
Costs
| Description |
Amount in KES |
| Committee meeting package |
45.000 |
| Community dialogue forum package |
15.000 |
| Communication |
10.000 |
| Mobilisation |
25.000 |
Follow up
- Follow up was done to Constituency Development Fund office where area Member of Parliament promised to allocate some funds to purchase ambulance and improve on the only government health facility in Kibera.
- Follow up with office of area MP on issues of sewerage leakages in schools and renovations.
- Followed up with Director of Health, county government, on issues to take over Kibera South Hospital from MSF-Belgium.
- Followed up with Kenya Power and Lighting on their promise to set up fire response units in the 3 locations.
