Pastor Daniel Ogutu tells of the work in the Mathare Valley just outside the Kenyan capital of Nairobi
This slum is an eyesore, an endemic source of social and moral problems. With a population of 500,000 people, it is located on both sides of the Mathare river. It is only 5km from the city centre of Nairobi. Sadly, due to lack of sanitation, the river has changed into a dump for refuse and filth.
The slum began in the 1960s after Kenya gained independence. With the lifting of colonial restrictions on movement, thousands of people migrated to Nairobi. It is now a mosaic of the tribes of Kenya and has many people from neighbouring countries as well. Life in the slum is almost impossible. The majority have no employment but a few are employed as casual labourers and guards on industrial estates. Some sell vegetables, paraffin and charcoal, whilst others brew illicit gin, popularly known as 'kill me quick.' There is, of course, widespread prostitution, drug abuse, child vagrancy, robbery and rape. Living in slum conditions in an afflicted city stirs up resentment in people. Angry young men have formed gangs who roam the slum.
