Preface Out of the three billion of the world’s city dwelling population, more than one billion of these people live in slums, and the stories from these informal settlements in the world remain unknown. christopher Makau (23) lives in Kibera, one of the largest slums in the world, which is located in Nairobi, Kenya. In this book: “KIBera an anonymous life” christopher tells his story and gives us a glimpse of his life through the smells, the hardships, and also the laughter. In fall 2009, Bastiaan Tolhuijs (23) was in Kibera with his fellow students from the Delft University of Technology; they were working on a new sanitation solution, the Peepoo Project. Two months were spent in Kibera together with christopher and many other students. It was then that Bastiaan realised that some people never get a chance to use their talents, simply because they are born and raised in the wrong place. How many capable people have we lost this way? How many opportunities for a better existence are smothered in anonymity? This booklet is the outcome of the friendship and the unique co-operation that developed from this experience.  The Peepoo ProjectThe story of christopher shows us the challenges of life in a illegal settlement; the lack of water, sanitation, and hygiene remains one of the biggest problems in slums and in rural areas. 884 million people do not have clean water, and 40% of the population in the world (that is 2.5 billion people) lives without safe sanitation; this causes life-threatening diseases and stops economic development, thus the Peepoo Project is a new sustainable sanitation solution for the impoverished urban dweller. In 2010 this large-scale project will start in Kibera, and will reach 20.000 users; after this trial period, the Peepoo Project will be launched globally. The University of Delft participated in the planning phase of the Peepoo Project, and it has been made possible with the strong support of Simavi and aqua for all.

Christopher’s blogPlease follow christopher on his blog: kiberablog.wordpress.com. The profit derived from this book will benefit christopher and give him a chance to finish his studies and to help his family. This book and kind friendship have given something else to christopher that so many poor people lack: hope.

This is my story. Kibera, “The Ghetto” is an amazing place

to be, due to its unique way of life. Life is simple, but difficult

at the same time. I live in Silanga, a neighbourhood in

Kibera with approximately 20.000 people. This number is

estimated since most people in Kibera have no identity. You

are born, you live an anonymous life and you die. This is

a collection of true stories written from my point of view.

christopher (Kiki) Makau

Kibera

electricity is one of many challenges we face in Kibera, though

some areas of Kibera are fortunate enough to have power

installed by KPLc (Kenya Power and Lighting company).

Silanga, where I live, is not as lucky so we have to invent

ways to gather electricity. for example, there are people

who illegally draw copper wires carrying 230 volts directly

from the poles to your home. In the connection of electricity,

the neutral wire is simply attached to the corrugated sheets

of the wall or roof. Distributors usually sell electricity at a

price of 300 Ksh (about €3,-) per month. In some parts of

Kibera wiring is underground, this means you have to watch

your step after it has rained so as not to get electrocuted.

Electricity

The common way to defecate in Kibera is by means of a

hole in the ground and squat above it when defecating. Huge

holes are dug in the ground with a small privacy shelter

built around it, people call them pit latrines. There are never

enough toilets for all the people. Yet every person needs

to defecate at least once every two days. People without

a decent toilet facility are obligated to openly defecate by

using “flying toilets”; or to excrete on a badly maintained,

overflowing latrine, which is used by 100 people a day.

Those using a pit latrine know their faeces flow into the river

behind the toilet. Some say a lack of education makes people

ignorant but there seems to be no solution for this seemingly

simple problem, which is in fact, one of the biggest dangers

in town.

Sanitation

Since proper facilities are not readily available in an illegal

squatter camp like Kibera, wealthy individuals in Kibera

bought pipes and install water from the main supplier: The

Nairobi Water company. These individuals pay monthly

payments to the company, which provides water at a price

of three Kenyan shillings per 20L barrel during a normal

season, though during the drought or a water shortage, the

price increases to five shillings and sometimes ten shillings

depending on the situation.

However, nothing lasts forever. These pipes “break”

sometimes, and people nearby take advantage to fill their

containers with the free water before the owner notices and

repairs the pipes. forty percent of obtaining water happens

in this particular way, the involved risk of getting very sick by

this contaminated water does not outweigh the opportunity

of saving a few shillings.

‘Cost’ of water

Working hard all day to cover primary needs leaves no space

for extra commodities. a cold bottle of soda costs 30 Ksh

(about €0,30), a bit more than a warm bottle of soda, but

with a daily income of 100 Ksh (about €1,00) you would

think twice before spending a third of your salary buying a

luxury like this.

Luxury

If one is inventive, every day can give new possibilities to

earn money. Selling food or water, repairing clothes, making

beds, chairs or charcoal, washing clothes, or even exploiting

a hotel, bar, restaurant or cinema. It is like that everywhere

else in the world. The difference is in the way it is done. In

Kibera everything happens with very few resources. Every-

thing is done on the street, clothes are washed in the same

place where the food is cooked and the children play. Knives

are important in a lot of businesses. Cutting the dough for

the mandazes, cutting meat in butcheries or preparing the

food at home. A knife is an investment, and usually there is

only one available. Mobile knife sharpeners are everywhere

with their home made sharpener wheel.

Creativity

The only good thing about death is that it connects the poor

and the rich as it does not choose between the two. In order

to prevent transport cost of the body, most people bury their

beloved at the nearby cemeteries.

Women bear a lot of children when they are still very young.

The average age of people living in Kibera is not older than

45 years. Poverty is one of many factors that cuts life short.

Producing coffins for the deceased is a smart way to create

a steady income.

45

Another badly brewed drink is called Changaa. A brewer

once told me: “Beer costs 50 shillings (about €0,50) per

bottle and you do not get drunk, while 1 glass of my Changaa

gets you up the pole for just 5 shillings (€0,05)!” The pro-

duction of it is totally uncontrolled. It contains methanol that

can cause blindness or – if used in a higher concentration –

death. To give the drink a bit more punch, the brewers add

a bit of jet fuel or formaldehyde. Alcoholics need alcohol to

sustain their addiction. When they earn a bit of money, most

is spent on drinks, and afterwards they do not have money to

pay the bus fare the next day to go to work, causing many to

get fired and jobless. This is a national problem, and women

are fighting the government to take action on the people

selling these drinks. One day, more than ten people died in

Mathare after taking Changaa; this has made the govern-

ment take action.

Changaa

One day not long ago, it was about 11.30 AM, when suddenly

we heard a loud noise. People rushed towards the sound of

people screaming. Due to a slippery rail a train had left the

track and fell into houses near the railway line. It was a

shocking and terrible accident because many people were

in their homes when it happened, and two unfortunate peo-

ple died, as well as many hospitalised. The railway company

was not responsible for the victims because the shacks were

not built more than 100 meters away from the railway line.

It is sad that the bystanders were less concerned with the

victims but more in the cooking oil the train was transport-

ing. Police had to use force to reach the victims so that they

could get hospitalised. The stolen oil was intended for the

Red Cross to help other people.

One man’s meat is another man’s poison.

Trains

Babies are born. In Kenya it is tradition that the father helps

the mother and child by giving them food and money since

the mother cannot provide this. My friend just became fa-

ther of a little girl. He is an 18-year-old unemployed boy,

who is being threatened by the brothers of his ex girlfriend

to pay for her in the recovery period. My friend told me:

“My family and friends do not think the child is mine, she

does not have my features at all. My ex-girlfriend is the only

one who can know whether I am the father or not. I cannot

prove anything as I do not have the money for a DNA-check.

I guess I just have to pay.”

Births