The Status Of Upgraded Elements Through Participatory Approach In Korogocho And Soweto East In Kibera Slums

The Government of Kenya in its national slum policy seeks to encourage, facilitate and secure community and stakeholder participation, transparency, and accountability in integrated approaches of slum upgrading and prevention, redevelopment, rehabilitation, and improvement programmes. The study conducted the assessment of elements upgraded through participatory approach in Korogocho and Soweto East in Kibera slums. The study established the economic activities, residents’ length of stay and status of elements that were upgraded through a participatory approach in Korogocho and Soweto East in Kibera slums. The capabilities approach theory that views people as active participants during the process of development and not mere cogs as passive onlookers guided the study. The study adopted a descriptive design approach to establish the elements upgraded through participatory approach in Korogocho and Soweto East in Kibera slums in Nairobi. Multistage and systematic random sampling while employing the use of Taro Yamane’s table of samples was employed in sampling the households and respondents within the households. This yielded 199 and 201 totaling to 400 respondents from Soweto East in Kibera and Korogocho slums respectively. Questionnaires, interview schedule, observation guide and focus group discussions (FGD) were used during field inquiries. The study found out that basic elements of housing units, cabro and tarmac roads, and perimeter wall and storm water drainage were erected at Soweto East in Kibera slum. The tarmac road, foot bridge, multipurpose hall and primary school; gate, perimeter fence, common hall and playground were upgraded in Korogocho slums. The study concluded that at Korogocho and Soweto East Zone A in Kibera slums a substantial number of facilities were upgraded into permanent structures through manipulations and tokenism level of participation. Finally, the study concluded that the use of direct resident participation on slum upgrading processes was significant and instrumental in influencing the sustainability of the upgraded slum facilities at Soweto East Zone A in Kibera slum. It was recommended that upgrading agencies should transpose community participation from nonparticipation and tokenism to citizen empowerment to involve the community to be part of the project and hence work towards its sustainability.