Muungano Slum Dwellers

Kenya is a country of 54 million people, with roughly one in two living on less than $5.50 a day, according to World Bank data. The capital, Nairobi, has a population of over four million and is a hub for economic migrants, young people, and displaced people from across the country who are looking for jobs and better opportunities. Urban population growth has expanded industry and education, but it has also created a need for housing and infrastructure that the country is not prepared to meet. The outdated system of urban planning employed in Nairobi is a holdover from British colonization, which continued into the 1960s. Today, over 50 percent of Nairobi’s population lives in informal settlements—or housing that is not recognized by the government—which make up less than two percent of the land mass.

Muungano Wa Wanavijiji—Swahili for “united slum dwellers”—is a Nairobi-based movement that emerged in 1996 in response to demolitions and evictions occurring in slums as a result of private development. Community members organized together and, through years of militant struggle, were able to stop the evictions and spark a movement that spread throughout Nairobi and then Kenya. Today, Muungano comprises over 100,000 people in 1,000 groups across Kenya. The movement has two main demands: secure tenure and access. “Secure tenure” means that every slum dweller, informal trader, and squatter should have a title and deed that recognizes their right to use the land. “Access” means every slum dweller should have access to clean water, health, basic services, and housing, among other human rights described in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

Muungano reflects communities’ power to protect their rights, lands, and livelihoods as well as pushing for recognition of slums as important spaces not only for their inhabitants’ survival but also for the functioning of the city itself. The movement does not depend on external support. Instead, it emphasizes slum residents organizing themselves into networks that become part of city-wide federations.

In order to avoid stagnation within the movement, leaders are chosen at a community level rather than elected. This also keeps the movement from being used as a stepping stone for individuals seeking political power. In addition, Muungano intentionally develops women’s leadership, as women are at the center of communities and families and also suffer disproportionately from poor conditions in the slums. In Muungano, women are the leaders of data collection, savings, negotiating, and training.

In 2001, Muungano joined Slum Dwellers International, a global network of community-based organizations that mobilize urban poor people and slum dwellers. Through this connection, Muungano leaders learned the importance of data collection and mapping, and the need to strategically partner with the government. Although Muungano’s decision to work with the government has sometimes created tension, the movement has been able to leverage this relationship to access the services and information it needs. City officials have technical expertise and power to approve plans, and cities often own the utility companies, making them crucial partners in establishing both secure tenure and access to necessary services for slum dwellers.

Since its inception in 1996, Muungano has successfully shifted national policies around land and housing, gaining recognition for informal settlements, securing tenure in various parts of Kenya, creating housing projects, and securing access to services for thousands of slum dwellers. In 2003, Muungano established a finance vehicle, the Akiba Mashinani Trust (AMT), that can manage and hold assets for communities until those communities have the ability to manage them themselves. AMT also offers financial services like loans and savings for groups that might otherwise be excluded from the banking system and provides non-financial services like training, consultation, and technical assistance for Muungano members.

Thanks to the organizing of Muungano, more than 40,000 people have improved access to water and sanitation, and 7,000 homes and land rights to more than 140 hectares have been secured for Kenyan slum dwellers.