Kibera Slum
My undergraduate project was on dark tourism. It was morally disturbing and very difficult when doing research. Not many people were willing to talk to me about it and some thought I was crazy to want to front such a disgraceful concept in tourism. During the research, I learnt that slum tourism is in a way a form of dark tourism. Foley and Lennon (1996), defines dark tourism as the acts of visiting sites of death, tragedy, and suffering. These are places such as Sachangwan fire tragedy site, 1998 bomb blast site, etc.
Slum tourism on the other hand is a type of travel that involves visiting impoverished areas and is characterized by suffering and trauma. This makes it a form of dark tourism. It is highly unlikely to be happy or laugh during a slum tour. A lot of things go through your head. At times you get angry, but not sure whom you are getting angry at. This sadness associated with slum visits makes it part of dark tourism.
Have you visited Kibera slum as a tourist? If no, why? If yes, what did you learn?
Kibera slum is the largest urban slum in Africa and obviously the largest in Kenya. It is located within the capital city of Kenya-Nairobi. The highest percentage of people in the city every day, have never set their feet in Kibera. Likewise, people visiting Nairobi never consider passing through Kibera. This slum is majorly associated with violence and insecurity. However, violence is only witnessed when there is a general election in Kenya. This is once in 5 years’ time.
In 2022, and to the surprise of many, there was no violence in Kibera immediately after election. This is a big step in the right direction.
Why do I feel that it is important to visit Kibera?
According to me, slum tours in Kibera should be encouraged and packaged for both domestic and international tourists. There are professional local guides ready and willing to show you the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of Kibera slum. I can guarantee you that you will be safe and you will love the people there. The purpose of visiting Kibera slum is to provide you with an opportunity to see the “non-touristy” part of the city. This helps you to view life with a different perspective.
Kibera slum is an example of those areas where the national and local government has abandoned their services to the citizens. The slum has no sanitation mechanism, has inadequate supply of clean water, no playgrounds, among lack of other amenities. According to a Kibera guide (associated with Safiri Nasi), the communities living in Kibera depends more on donations and NGOs than they depend on the Kenyan government.
As you walk around the slum, you will notice that all the public toilets and water tanks are donated by NGOs. There are several children homes and other community based organizations doing a lot to help uplift the life of Kibera residents.
One of the benefits of tourism in Kenya is generating revenue for destinations’ conservation. The same way, revenue should be generated through slum tours to help the communities living there. At the moment, a slum tour of Kibera will cost you $20 per person without transport. It is normally a walking tour from Olympic shopping Centre and takes approximately 2 hours.
The guide explains to you the way of life in the slum, takes you deep inside the slum, gives you a tour of one of the local household and ends up at a community based organization’s Centre where they explain to you what they do and where you can help. It is evident from the tour that a number of kids have benefited from the tourists by earning scholarships, sponsorships and talent trainings.
The community benefits from tourists who become well-wishers and build water reservoirs as well as clean toilets. Tourists who pass through schools and community centers also donate money for various school projects and books to the libraries. This means that the money you pay for the tour helps pay the guides and part of it is added to the donation kitty for various community projects.
By doing a tour of Kibera slum, you get enlightened on how the locals carry out their lives, their means of survival and how they contribute to the larger society. You will be surprised that most people employed to do manual work in the city’s construction business reside in Kibera slum.
The tour will also help you change perception of people living in the slum. We tend to associate them with violence, theft and bitterness, whereas they are a happy, accommodating, and peaceful people.
It is important to highlight that during the tour, you will encounter open sewerage, garbage, slippery paths and smelly areas. It is therefore advisable to wear closed and comfortable shoes, a mask and a positive attitude.
Just to reiterate, visiting and bringing visitors to Kibera slum is beneficial in various ways. These may include:
-Setting up private schools and learning centers
-Setting up more toilets
-bringing in more clean water reservoirs
-Conversion of human waste into biogas, which can help the locals as an alternative of gas and charcoal
-Source of employment for the guides and tor facilitators
-Sponsorships and direct donations for bright and needy children among others.
Photography courtesy of Travel With Eliud
Kibera slum awaits…………..
