CONTAINER HOMES - Level 2 - Kibera

The Container Homes @ Kibera

Designing Affordable Housing in and around Nairobi for “Nairobi County Council” and the “State Department for Housing and Urban Development” lead to some interesting discoveries. I rejected the proposed tower blocks reminiscent of the late 1960’s that were being proposed by the Chinese Contractors for Stahere & Ngong Road. It seemed to me that the bidding & procurement documents made it almost impossible for local people to participate..My designs used re-purposed materials (containers, etc.) and new construction methods. These were challenged by officials. The new proposals used off-grid services including solar and renewable energy systems, rainwater harvesting, grey water recycling and sometimes required the re-purposing of abandoned buildings. I walked almost every day through the slums to get to know my Community. I began to observe their social behaviour, the community groupings and the interface between public & private spaces. There was very little privacy and many rooms held 4 or 5 people with little or no services at all. Shelters were inadequate, people had little or no money or clean water, yet there was an amazing thriving community spirit. I saw other organisations like SHOFCO & SOMO doing remarkable things & felt inspired. I met young Photographers, videographers and data geeks who helped to gather data & document the feedback from the community. We built WhatsApp groups to build a “virtual office” task groups. The long walks to fetch water and use sanitary facilities at night seemed dangerous to local women & children so I began to formulate an idea around how a community could grow independently, feed itself, provide employment and manage its own funding. It required a new wholistic approach. I started running an open mic night to get to know musicians, artists, photographers & videographers who could help me. I gave talks on the local community radio stations. The locals turned up to eat & dance & we soon got to know each other. The Youth (who accounts for around 62% of the population) happily joined the respective groups to participate in the project whils’t engaging leadership teams and youth groups. It seemed a sensible approach to get to “Know Your Client”. The work is ongoing and you can track it’s progress by following Makazi Africa Ke.