Kibera residents: We can't live anywhere else

Nairobi, Kenya: Despite the many challenges facing Kibra Constituency, many residents say they cannot survive in any other estate in Nairobi.

For them, the harsh living conditions in the famous slum do not matter. All they want is the close social network, lucrative businesses and low cost of living.

"We don't care about the filth, the fires and other slum challenges. All we want is the friendly nature of the residents, stability and cheap housing," said Vick Weche, a resident and a hawker in the estate.

However, a number of tenants in the slum have taken advantage of the 'meekness' of their landlords to avoid paying rent.

Some of them confess they have never seen their landlords since the 2007-2008 post election violence, which they term a Godsend.

FREE HOUSING

"I last saw my landlord in December 2007. Since then, I have enjoyed the privilege of being my own landlord," confessed Josephat Were, who has been a tailor in Kibra for 27 years now.

Were says life is even cheaper in Kibera than his own home, so it would be a great mistake to go back there.

"Kibra is the only estate where one can pay rent as low as Sh80 in a month. Some people even live without paying rent for months and whenever the landlords come around, they just give them fare to go back to their homes," he said.

Some residents confess that they get cheap water and electricity in the slum, compared to other city dwellers.

Collins Otieno says if he had continued staying in Kisumu, he would still be living in abject poverty, struggling with his family in Rabuor village.

Otieno says despite the measly income he earned from his 'mandazi' business in Kibra, he managed to pay secondary school fees and also did a two-year course in hospitality and hotel management.

"I never knew I could go to secondary school until I came to Kibra. My father died when I was supposed to join Form One," he said.