Containing the High Incidence of COVID-19 in the Urban Slums of Nairobi: The Case of Kibera

Abstract

Globally, urban slums (in most cases, informal settlements) have been hit badly by novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The reasons for this include the cramped living conditions that make social distancing impossible, and high levels of poverty and unemployment that make masks and clean water for hand washing unaffordable to many slum residents. This paper makes the case for upgrading Kibera, which is long overdue. The United Nations General Assembly endorsed the upgrading of urban slums as a priority Sustainable Development Goal in 2015. To win the war against coronavirus in Kibera, the Government should adopt a bottom-up approach, using the existing community leadership and youth groups, as opposed to a top-down approach. Given the increasing number of positive cases of coronavirus in Kibera, the Government must apply a selective lockdown, as it did in Eastleigh, Mandera and old town Mombasa. Winning the war in Kibera ultimately depends not only on Government efforts, but also on the commitments of local communities and individual residents.