Kawangware () is a low income

residential A residential area is a land used in which housing predominates, as opposed to industrial and commercial areas. Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include single-family housing, multi-family residen ...

area in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...

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, about 15 km west of the city centre, between Lavington and Dagoretti.

Description

According to the 2009 Kenya Population and Housing Census, Kawangware's population was 133,286 people at this time. It is estimated that 65% of the population are children and youths. Most inhabitants live on less than $2 (although they earn in shillings) a day and unemployment is high; many are self-employed traders. There is a diversity of ethnic backgrounds. Kawangware slum has more posho mills than bars, making it an ‘ugali nation’ for its over 130,000 mouths whose palates, unlike those of other Nairobians, have no time for supermarket ''unga'', the grade-one sifted maize meal favoured by middle-class stomachs. Kawangware has a scarcity of safe

drinking water Drinking water is water that is used in drink or food preparation; potable water is water that is safe to be used as drinking water. The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity level, a ...

. Water supplied by the city authority is not available every day or is otherwise expensive. There are waterborne diseases, respiratory pneumonia,

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

as well as an increase in cases of

airborne disease Airborne or aerosol transmission is transmission of an infectious disease through small particles suspended in the air. Infectious diseases capable of airborne transmission include many of considerable importance both in human and veterinary ...

s due to the poor

sewerage Sewerage (or sewage system) is the infrastructure that conveys sewage or surface runoff (stormwater, meltwater, rainwater) using sewers. It encompasses components such as receiving drainage, drains, manholes, pumping stations, storm overflows, a ...

system in Kawangware. Many people in Kawangware are

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

-positive. Kawangware has supermarkets, a

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

, a medical clinic and the Kawangware Primary School, Kawangware School and Kawangware Academy. However, many children in the slum do not attend school.

References

{{coord, 1, 17, S, 36, 45, E, display=title, region:KE_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki Populated places in Kenya Shanty towns in Kenya Slums in Kenya Suburbs of Nairobi Squatting in Kenya

Description

See also

References