Overpopulated area in a developing country and squatter settlements

Question 1

Case study

Answer 1

Kibera Slum located in Nairobi, Kenya

Question 2

4 Overpopulation facts about Kibera

Answer 2

1. Kibera is the largest informal settlement in Kenya
2. Over 60% of the people who live in Nairobi live in informal settlements
3. Between 800,000 and 1 million people live in Kibera 255 ha (around the size of 255 football pitches)
4. The settlement has an extremely high population density of 1 meter of floor space per person

Question 3

What 2 factors caused this overpopulation?

Answer 3

Informal settlements - Government owned land that people can just build on, making it very cheap to just move in - 10% of people are shack owners and many of these people own many other shacks and let them out to tenants (a person that rents). The remaining 90% of residents are tenants illegally occupying with with no rights to the land.

Employment - People come to Kibera seeking jobs as unskilled labourers, as Kibera is near the industrial area of Nairobi where up to 50% of the available workforce of the slum are employed

Question 4

4 Problems caused / made worse by the overpopulation

Answer 4

1. Kibera lacks sewers and has poor levels of sanitation - This is due to rapid expansion, making diseases the main killer - There are around 100,000 orphans under the age of 18 years – this is due in part to the AIDS epidemic in Kibera; Kibera has no government clinics or hospitals.
2. Crime - With over 50% unemployment in Kibera, due to overpopulation, many start drinking early (Changaa is a cheap alcoholic drink, which is widely available, and very strong) in the morning leading to problems of violence, crime, rape etc.
3. Strain on services, causing sewage issues - Most of Kibera has no toilet facilities. One latrine (hole in the ground) is shared by up to 50 shacks. Once full, young boys are employed to empty the latrine and take the contents to the river, further polluting the water and spreading diseases.
4. Poor housing conditions - The average size of a home is 12ft x 12ft built with mud walls, a corrugated tin roof with a dirt or concrete floor. These ‘shacks’ often house up to 8 or more with many sleeping on the floor.