Korogocho

Etymology

The name Korogocho is a Swahili term meaning crowded shoulder to shoulder.

Location

Located 11 kilometres northeast of the Nairobi city centre, Korogocho's 1-1.5 square kilometres were originally on government owned land which was a vacant outskirt when it was founded by rural migrants to the city in the 1960s. It borders one of Nairobi's main rubbish dumps, Dandora. Korogocho is an electoral ward within the Ruaraka constituency in Nairobi County, and is divided into nine "villages": Gitathuru, Grogan A and B, Highridge, Kisumu Ndogo, Korogocho A and B, Ngomongo, and Nyayo.

As Korogocho expanded, it grew onto private land, and almost half its land is now owned privately.

Ethnicity

Korogocho residents come from more than thirty ethnic groups, although most are from the Kikuyu, Luo, and Luhya peoples. It is also significant to note large muslim community who are also residents of this area.

Infrastructure

There is little formal infrastructure serving Korogocho's residents. Most housing was built by families living there, and is made of found or recycled materials. Despite this, many of the residents pay land rent for the right to live there. Others pay rent to those who have constructed their habitations.

Small scale farming is commonly practiced, despite the crowded conditions. There is a Kenyan Police station, along with the chieftaincy at the very centre of Korogocho village.

Health

With poor infrastructure, few resources, overcrowding, and proximity to the dump, health in Korogocho is poor. Several organisations provide free clinics in the slum,

An education centre has been set up in Korogocho called the " Caretakers Orphans Education Centre" CEOC funded by charitable donations in the UK to help HIV orphaned children gain an education,food, and basic medical attention.

Korogocho is one of two informal settlements included in the Nairobi Urban Health and Demographic Surveillance System (NUHDSS) operated by the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) since 2002. The NUHDSS collects data on demographic events (births, deaths, and migrations), health outcomes (morbidity, cause of death through verbal autopsy, child vaccination, and nutrition) and socio-economic outcomes (marriage, education, livelihood, and housing characteristics). It is the source for numerous research publications indexed on the APHRC website. (The other informal settlement included in NUHDSS is Viwandani.)

Development programmes

Slums, covering only 5% of Nairobi, provide homes for 2.5 million Kenyans, well over half the city's entire population.

The Government of Kenya created a development body in 2008 focused solely upon improving the lives of Korogocho residents, the *Korogocho Slum Upgrading Programme (KSUP) *. The KSUP is funded through the Italian Government as part of a debt swaps scheme and involves representatives from UNHabitat, local government and federal government. Local representation for the people of Korogocho was to be guaranteed through the establishment of a Koch Resident's Committee (KRC) consisting of 6 residents from each of the 8 'villages' in Koch, totaling 48 people.

It was headed by a Chairman (Peter Kinyanjui), Secretary (John Okello alias Ali Okello) and Treasurer (Nyaga, a former enforcer and gangster). Membership of the KRC is supposed to be through democratic election every two years. However, an election was due in November 2010 but the current members refused to stand down and have turned themselves into a Community Based Organization (CBO), unlawfully, since the money they control is not for their personal use.

Although the KRC was set up to be a representative body for Koch residents, the Committee has, over the last two years, turned into a corrupt organization headed by self-interested individuals who wield significant power because of the large amounts of money and resources they have access to.

Korogocho came to popular attention in some parts of the west following the marketing of several export based craft and clothing companies which were founded there, while the 2007 Seventh World Social Forum ended its Nairobi summit with a half marathon which was begun, symbolically, in Korogocho slum.

The residents of Korogocho are increasingly organizing their own development projects. One example is Komb Green Solutions, a community-based organization funded in 2017 to engage youth in improving the environment of the community. A group of young men formed Suluhu Hub in 2018 to create short films about life in Korogocho. They seek to empower youths to avoid criminal activities through peer mentorship programs. KochFM is a nonprofit community radio station registered as a community-based organization (CBO) in 2006. It was established so that community residents could tell their own stories and counter negative images presented in other media.

Sport

Korogocho is the home of the 2013 founded austrian-kenyan development project Acakoro Football Academy. The academy has brought fame to the informal settlement for winning against FC Barcelonas U11 team in a European elite tournament in 2015. Since then the academy has replicated this success in beating Athletico Madrids youth team in the following year. Sylvia Makungu is a graduate of the academy currently playing for ÖFB-Frauenliga team FC Wacker Innsbruck (2002).

Political unrest

Korogocho was one of the sites of the 2007-2008 unrest over the disputed presidency of Kenya. At least fifteen men died in one incident at the end of 2007, when ethnic and political divisions resulted in rioting and battles with the police.

Market

This is an informal market not licensed by Nairobi city council. It specialises in selling fresh food produces and also new and second hand clothes. It operates every day with no official hours. It is a bit disorganised in terms of the arrangements but people trade within the constrains of the disorderliness. It is located adjacent to Korogocho slums opposite Dandora estate.

References

References

1. [http://www.begakwabega.com/Korogocho-eng.html Korogocho]. BEGA KWA BEGA Development project. Accessed 2009-06-02
2. [http://www.ksup.org/background.php Background]{{Dead link. (February 2020)
3. "Korogocho Streetscapes {{!}} UN-Habitat".
4. Kenya-Italy swap benefits Korogocho slums. Millicent Muthoni, The Standard. 15 January 2009.
5. link. (21 July 2011)
6. "Nairobi County {{!}} County Trak Kenya".
7. (January 2016). "Nourishing livelihoods: recognising and supporting food vendors in Nairobi's informal settlements". Human Settlements Working Paper.
8. There is no system of street lighting, resulting in increased insecurity and the construction of special lighted safe areas by government and NGOs.[https://web.archive.org/web/20080405012017/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/nairobis-lady-of-the-lamp-453276.html Nairobi's Lady of the lamp]. The Independent (London) 16 June 2007.
9. Crime is endemic, and law enforcement in the shanty towns are poor. Organised crime groups are said to operate here. In 2004 the [[Zambia]]n diplomat Osward Banda was murdered and his five-year-old son, tied to his dead father, was left in his car in a Korogocho street.[http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=87&art_id=qw110139282186B252 Gunmen bind boy to his father's bloody body]. Reuters. November 25, 2004.
10. https://web.archive.org/web/20110129230728/http://thebusinessphone.com/the-caretakers-orphans-education-centre/
11. Admin, APHRC. "Nairobi Urban Health and Demographic Surveillance System (NUHDSS)".
12. "Publications".
13. Nairobi, Ifra. (2011-09-01). "Korogocho Slum Upgrading Programme". Les Cahiers d'Afrique de l'Est / The East African Review.
14. "UN Habitat entry for Korogocho Slum Upgrading Programme".
15. Other KRC members include Hawa Dima{{citation needed. (November 2020)
16. [https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/sm/date/2001-08-26/segment/11 Kenyan Company Launches a Line of Environment-Friendly Footwear]. CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Aired August 26, 2001
17. [https://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2003/06/59202 Pulling Up by Their Sandal Straps]. Jennifer Friedlin, Wired Magazine. 06.26.2003
18. [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2007/jan/27/post1008 What did we achieve? Another world is possible. The World Social Forum is a small part of the road to it]. Sasha Simic, the Guardian (London) 27 January 2007.
19. "Komb Green Solutions - Creating Nairobi's First "People's Park"".
20. "Suluhu Hub - YouTube".
21. "Koch FM {{!}} Kenya Community Media Network".
22. Anyuolo, Lena. (2018-01-27). "Little known football academy, ACAKORO, making waves by beating Atletico Madrid & FC Barcelona".
23. "Sylvia Makungu".
24. [http://www.screenindia.com/news/scores-dead-as-kenya-erupts-post-results/256307/ Scores dead as Kenya erupts post result]{{dead link. (November 2024)
25. [http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2008/01/01/kenyan_death_toll_near_250/ Kenya death toll seen at 250]. Helen Nyambura-Mwaura and Daniel Wallis, Reuters. 1 January 2008.
26. [http://allafrica.com/stories/200801100612.html Kenya: Citizens Wanted Change But Were Short-Changed]. The Weekly Observer (Kampala), Martyn Drakard. 10 January 2008