Task 7

Sanitation and waste management: Case-Kibera, Nairobi

We are in the group 3, so we had to have found the answer to the question “ who should take the responsibility at various level to solve the sanitation and waste problem in Kibera....?”. Kibera is a informal settlement situated in the Kenya’s capital Nairobi with population around 700,000 who are mostly very poor. The poor slum dwellers do not even have minimum urban facilities likes sanitation, waste disposal systems, water supply etc rather they live in a very unhealthy, risky and bitter conditions. The dwellers even can not use toiletries  freely because as much as 150 people could share only one toilet and  they should pay for using the toilet too.  Many families where there is no toilet nearby, have had to resort to using plastic bags that are then thrown away in alleys and ditches, a practice is called flying toilets.   How the human beings of these densely populated areas are suffering and vulnerable to the health risks can easily be understood. The city government exists but they are mostly busy with the areas dwelling by the rich people. The government, civil society, leaders had a very little motivation to rescue  of these slum populations from the bitter situation.

Some one must take these responsibilities, but who are they? What we discussed in our group, it is the government who should take the full moral responsibility to made them get rid of this inhuman situation.  It is understandable that the government have many limitations nevertheless the government in no way can avoid these misery but to accept the full responsibility and should organize for funds, policies, institutions, regulations by letting involve civil society, political leaders, NGOs, scholars, teachers, businessman etc.  If the government can realize the depth of suffering its citizens facing, and try to formulate clear, impartial policy and institutional frame work, propagate humanitarian motivation then the whole task will be easy to implement and lacking of motivation will be overcome. The strong government will, clear policy regulations, facilitating stakeholders opinion, involving civil society, NGOs are the must doing things to solve this inhumane menace  and the government   are hold liable to these responsibilities. If the government  is seen serious ,  all the other stakeholders must come up with their ability to extend their hands to the government and thus these sanitation and wastage menace can be solved within reasonable time.