Slums of Hope: Land Tenure Reforms, Local Economic Development and Environmental Improvement in a Kenyan Shanty Town

Abstract

Kambi Moto is a village shack settlement in Nairobi's vast eastern peripheral slums. Kambi Moto differs from the slum around it, however, as it is in the middle of a community-led slum upgrading programme. This programme has instituted land tenure reform, house building, environmental improvements and has forced the local community to seek economic development. The environmental improvements include permanent, formal houses with electric, water and sanitation infrastructure provision. Roads were also built allowing better access to the community. Experts state that secure tenure leads to economic, health, education and other benefits (Durand-Lasserve & Selod, 2007). This ‘In Perspective’ case study will investigate the Kambi Moto experience to see if this holds true in practice.