In Summary
- Mohamed Obanda one of the home owners Mwamko Group Offices, his joy of moving from a single roomed mabati structure to a three bedroomed mansion can be felt even in his voice
- But despite living in the house for more than one year, Sarah is yet to believe that her housing fortunes have changed
Entry into Korogocho slums in Eastlands part of Nairobi. A strong garbage stench stings the nostrils, a clear sign that air is clearly polluted.
But amidst the strong garbage stench and the hundreds of small structures is a small office that houses the Mwamko Self Help Group.
A group that has seen the slum dwellers of Korogocho defy all odds and become home owners.
Mohamed Obanda one of the home owners Mwamko Group Offices, his joy of moving from a single roomed mabati structure to a three bedroomed mansion can be felt even in his voice.
“I am very happy, very greatful. Right now I am living in a very spacious house, a three bedroomed house, my boys have their room, my girls have their rooms, I also have my dignified room compared to the self confused houses that we had,” said Obanda.
Obanda, a father of seven is among the 25 members of Mwamko group who have been saving as little as Ksh. 500 towards what he describes getting a dignified home.
“We started in 2006 then the post election violence came and the initiative came to a brief stop. Then we picked it up again in 2008 and continued with the contributions. I did not know that this will ever happen,” he says.
READ ALSO; Matatus To Now Use Nairobi Expressway
The sharp contrast
In a sharp contrast of what Korogocho slums is, a clean fresh air greets us as we enter Kamulu area in the outskirts of Nairobi town.
A clean fresh air greets us and a sight of beautiful masionettes sitting on a carefully planned compound welcomes us.
We meet Saraha Mohammed, Obanda’s wife holding a small baby in her hums. She welcomes us into her new home.
But despite living in the house for more than one year, Sarah is yet to believe that her housing fortunes have changed.
“I am still in disbelief. Because living in Koch then waking up one day and finding yourself in a new house, I keep pinching myself. Asking myself if I am still sleeping or I am already awake,” says Sarah.
For someone who has known Korogocho slums all her life, the reality is yet to escape her.
Sarah a stay at home mum says that the shift from Korogocho slums has also changed her way of thinking. She is now thinking big.
“I feel transformed because living in small space does not help in your thinking. Right now I live in a big space, I am now thinking big. The other day I found myself asking for the price of a bag of cement because this move has transformed me, I now think of owning and doing big things,” she says.
The shift did not happen overnight, it has been a years of dedication, discipline and hard work. She says.
Owning a home in Kenya, is a dreamy affair for many Kenyans. It is such a big dream that even when the government promises to build affordable homes for Kenyans, no one seems to believe that it is possible.
President Ruto’s maiden budget involved the government deducting 3% from employees’ salaries and employers contributing similar amount to fund a housing scheme generated a public outcry.
How It Started
The journey towards owning homes for Mwamko Group has also not been easy. Mohamed Abdi, the Project Manager of Commonwealth Housing Group, a group working with Mwamko Group says that they have so far relocated eight families.
“This is a self build projects, these families give their contributions and then we help them raise funds for other resources for construction,” said Abdi.
“We have so far relocated eight families from Korogocho to Kamulu. Our main aim is to relocate all the 25 families in this group and we hope that as funds continue to stream in, we will be able to relocate all the 25 families,” says Abdi.
Detailing the journey of the group Abdi says that after several years of saving of funds, the group acquired a piece of land in Kamulu in 2011.
In 2017, they then applied for a mentorship opportunity with the Aga Khan Foundation’s Yetu Initiative, an initiative that communities tackle challenges that they deem most pressing. In the Mwamko case, the pressing problem was building homes.
Among the skills they obtained were online fundraising skills from well-wishers and also approaching different organizations to give them products at a subsidized cost.
“Our biggest challenged came when we were looking for land. Unfortunately the lands around Korogocho were too expensive for us to afford. So we shifted our focus and started looking for land outside Korogocho. We then got land in Kamulu then the cahellenge came when we wanted to get the subdivision title which took a lot of time but eventually we were successful,” said Abdi.
” But as they continued the group morale went down. Some members dropped out and completely withdrew from the project while some just slowed down in their participation and monthly contribution,” he narrates.
Irene Gathenji, Project Director for the Yetu Initiative says that they also trained the Mwamko Leaders under the Commonwealth Housing Group ways of reporting back to their donors and accountability.
“The Yetu Initiative was formed to build the capacity for civil society organisations in resource mobilisation following their struggles with funding since the recognition of Kenya as a middle income country,” says Gathenji.
“We took the Commonwealth Housing Group team to a four month bootcamp that boosted their fundraising skills and also project management skills. We also supported them and trained them in a bid to help them raise funds both locally and internationally. We also taught them how to develope their campaigns, reporting and accountability,” says Gathenji.
As the construction of the houses commenced in 2019, Sarah and other members who had received training from The Yetu Initiative were able to give their services.
Friction and politics
Having been able to only build eight houses, the demand for more houses Mwamko Group brought a little friction within the group.
But as Abdi puts it, the conflict was resolved by the strong policies that the group had put.
“We used the criteria we had put before, the vulnerability in terms of the number of children, physical well being of disability. We also considered member participation and dedication to the group.
Obanda says that he even contemplated taking all his cash following the long wait.
Sarah and Obanda are yet to fully furnish their house but that does not stop them and the children from enjoying their new, spacious and dignified house.
“My children were shying from bringing their friends to their house. Right now they are very proud, they bring their friends for sleep overs, the house gets full and all of us are happy,” says Obanda.
Currently the construction of four more houses is ongoing and with the successful relocation of the eight families, the group members have regained their momentum.
The group hopes to relocate the other 17 members within the next five years.
