By IPS Correspondents
NAIROBI, Jan 22 2007 (IPS)

Concerns are being voiced in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, about the operation of gangs in slum areas – something which appears to stem from the lack of policing in these communities.

Mungiki is one such gang. The group reportedly promotes a return to traditional beliefs of the Kikuyu tribe; nonetheless, it has been accused of murder, extortion and racketeering. Members are active in Mathare, a shanty town of 500,000 in the east of Nairobi, making it the city’s second largest slum after Kibera.

“Every house pays Mungiki between 0.43 and 0.71 dollars per month for security (and) about 1.42 dollars per month for electricity, but this charge increases if one buys extras like a video player or radio cassette (player),” says James Maina, a resident of Mathare, and civil society co-ordinator.

In addition, the gang has taken over the manning of public toilets, demanding that every house pay a user fee of about 0.57 dollars per month, an amount that is often unaffordable, given the poverty in the area. This has caused friction between residents and Mungiki.

Tensions heightened in November last year when the gang moved in to control the lucrative “changáa” (illegal alcohol) business, demanding that brewers pay a fee of about 4.2 dollars per week. The brewers, who are mostly women, objected to the demand, reportedly prompting the gang to destroy their stock.

Maina recounts that this caused angry residents to set fire to the houses of Mungiki members, which in turn led to clashes between Mungiki, the police, residents and the Taliban: a gang which draws it support largely from the Luo tribe and is seeking to counter the Mungiki. Eight people died in the skirmishes, which led to thousands fleeing their homes.

“If anyone interferes with our business, it is like they are killing us. Changáa is our livelihood; that is what pays my rent, feeds my five children and takes them to school,” Mariam Aluka, a changáa brewer, told IPS. According to her, brewers still operate in fear.

In a bid to defuse the situation, a meeting was convened last month, which saw the warring parties come together to explore ways of addressing their problems. Many traced these difficulties to the need for government to fulfill its duty by providing housing and other basic services like water and electricity to the sprawling slum – Nairobi’s oldest.

“Housing is the beginning point in all this. Everything revolves around housing. If government provides housing, it will follow up with security, water and other services, and there will be no need for gangs to extort money from people,” said Cyprian Nyamwamu, executive director of the National Convention Executive Council, an umbrella body for reform organisations.

In 2003, authorities announced that they would put up 150,000 houses annually to address the housing shortage. Close to five years later, this promise has not yet been met.

Others see the problems affecting slums in a somewhat broader perspective. “We need to overhaul the whole system of governance, and most importantly have in place policy frameworks to guide housing and provision of services in slum areas,” Awori noted.

But according to Betty Tett, the deputy housing minister, “there are no firm policies governing provision of services in informal settlements as authorities see it as a means of legitimising the existence of illegal settlements.”

In the coming days, residents frustrated by the government’s failure to provide them with either housing or services will find a venue to voice their feelings: the World Social Forum (WSF), set to take place in Nairobi Jan. 20-25.

“We are looking forward to sharing with the world our stories; our experiences, fears and aspirations and what we as a people who live in inhuman conditions are doing about our situations,” Maina said.

“Usually, people who do not live in slums are the ones who speak about slum issues. This time, at the WSF, we want to speak for ourselves. We want the world to hear it from the horse’s mouth.”

The annual forum brings together activists from around the world who oppose globalisation in its current form, and domination by capital. Housing is set to be a key discussion point at this year’s event, alongside HIV/AIDS, gender, debt, youth, trade, governance and poverty, among others.

According to United Nations figures, 60 percent of Nairobi’s population of close to four million lives in slums.

“If 60 percent of the capital city’s population live in slums (and) are not able to lead decent lives, then as a government you have failed,” says Achoka Awori, coordinator of SAYARI, a think tank on social, economic and political issues that is based in Nairobi.

Excerpt: