Tale of Kibera beneficiaries who sold their birthright

New upgraded slum house in Soweto Kibera during the handing over of the house keys to Kibera,Soweto East Zone A residents on 8/June/2016.In a project under the ministry of land,housing and urban development.PHOTO BY EDWARD KIPLIMO.

Hannah Wanjiru, 47, was all smiles as she received the keys to her new flat in Kibera’s Soweto East last Friday. She was among the 691 residents who had waited for 12 years for permanent houses developed under the Kenya Slum Upgrading Programme (KENSUP), a partnership between the Government of Kenya and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).

Shiro, as she is commonly known as in the area, gladly showed us around her house in Block G1 in the new estate she now calls Canaan, after the biblical Promised Land. When she was invited to speak during the handing over ceremony last Friday, Shiro, who has lived in the slum for the last 30 years, could not hide her joy.