Mathare Valley is a part of

Mathare Mathare is a collection of slums in Nairobi with a population of approximately 500,000 people; the population of Mathare Valley alone, the oldest of the slums that make up Mathare, is 180,000 people. Mathare is the home of football (soccer), foot ...

slum in

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

. It is in the Nairobi area. Other informal settlements in the Nairobi area include Huruma, Kiambiu, Korogocho, Mukuru and Kibera. It has a high population density. It is a few kilometers from the centre of Nairobi. The Mathare River flows in the valley.

Details

The Mathare Valley is one of the oldest and used to be one of the worst slum areas in Nairobi. People live in 6 ft. x 8 ft. shanties made of old tin and mud. There are no beds, no electricity, and no running water. People sleep on pieces of cardboard on the dirt floors of the shanties. There are public toilets shared by up to 100 people and residents have to pay to use them. Those who cannot afford to pay must use the alleys and ditches between the shanties. "Flying toilets" are plastic bags used by the residents at night, then thrown into the Nairobi River, which is the source of the residents' water supply. Approximately 600,000 people live in an area of three square miles. Most live on an income of less than a US$1 per day. . Crime and HIV/AIDs are common. Many parents die of AIDS and leave their children to fend for themselves. Mathare Community Outreach tries to care for as many of these orphans as possible, but their resources are limited.

Mathare facts

* 70% of Nairobi's population of four million lives on 5% of the city's land area. * Mathare Valley contains a population greater than the cities of

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, or

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, yet the slum covers an area of only three square miles. In comparison, Seattle covers 80 square miles, Boston 42 square miles, and Denver 150 square miles. * It is estimated that one of every three adults in Mathare is HIV positive. The average life expectancy for a person who is HIV positive in Mathare is five years or less. * Common health problems for children in Mathare include dysentery, malnutrition, malaria, typhoid, cholera, infections, tetanus, and polio. * Juvenile heads of households are common. This is a situation where a child or teen, some as young as 8 or 9 years old, is left to care for younger siblings, since both parents have died of AIDS. * There are an estimated 70,000 children in the Mathare Valley, with only 3-4 schools to educate them. Many children do not attend school. * Without an education the children in the Mathare Valley often turn to a future of crime, prostitution, drug abuse and disease. Religious and non-profit organizations are growing in the Mathare Valley. For example, th
Missions Of Hope International
(MOHI), Christs Hope Kenya and Compassion International educate tens of thousands of children in schools, using tools that address issues such as HIV, health issues, and the need for employment. Students' parents are educated regarding health issues and provided with opportunities for job training or microloans to facilitate job creation.

Details

Mathare facts

Notable people

References

External links