1. NAIROBI INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS
CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION
Maji na Ufanisi
(Water and Development)
Judy Ndichu
Maji na Ufanisi, Kenya
(judy.ndichu@majinaufanisi.org)
P.O. Box 58684 – 00200, Nairobi, Kenya
Tel 254 20 2727107, Fax 254 20 2726332

2. Overview of Presentation
• Background of Maji na Ufanisi
• Our Work
• Programmes
• Overviews of selected Urban and ASAL
projects
• Maji na Ufanisi as a WES hub in Kenya
• Partnerships

3. Background - Maji na Ufanisi
(MnU)
• Maji na Ufanisi (MnU) is a membership based
Kenyan Water and Sanitation NGO which has been in
existence for the last 10 years
• The need to establish Maji na Ufanisi arose from the
need to continue strategies and experiences of
former Water Aid Kenya
• Water Aid Kenya closed its office in Kenya in 1997
• Maji na Ufanisi has always had 3 major WES
programmes – Urban, Rural and Advocacy
• MnU has maintained a focus on building the capacity
of partner institutions e.g. CBOs to analyze and
address community concerns

4. CHALLENGES OF INFORMAL
SETTLEMENT DWELLERS
(Over 200 slums in Nairobi and
growing literally by the day)
Population expected to increase
with rural –urban migr.
• Basic services (Water, Sanitation,
accessibility)
• Lack of social amenities ( schools,
hospitals etc)
• Land tenure issues, geographically

6. • Climate related
– Flash floods – riparian location
– Diseases and epidemics – sanitation
related( Mukuru, Kibera)
– water scarcity
– High food prices
– Slum fires
– Non climate proofed development/slum
upgrading (more water usage, waterborne
systems as opposed to existing pit latrines
or flying toilets
– Low participation of slum dwellers( yet
over 60% of urban dwellers)

8. On going projects
• Kenya slum upgrading – KENSUP in Soweto (Kibera) funded by
Habitat and GoK
• Community managed integrated sanitation blocks in different
slums – funded by, Athi Water Services Board, Rotary Club of
Nairobi
• Nairobi Informal Settlements Water and Sanitation in selected
settlements – EU
• School WASH programme( UNICEF, WATERCAN, Coca Cola)
• Rural Projects – Water harvesting in arid areas
(Makueni)
• Networking and Advocacy – limited funds from a mix of donors
Need to mainstream( climate proof dev) Climate change
Adaptation and mitigation in Slums and in general urban areas
in all projects

9. WASH/CWfS
• High enrolment rate with free Pri. school
Educ.
• Water and sanitation facilities did not expand
• As many as 90-100 children share a toilet
that is not maintained at all
• Hence the need to reach out to children in
public schools in the environs of slums -
that serve children from informal settlements

10. Climate Change
• Affecting poor urban dwellers whose no. is
increasing due to rural-urban migration
• Urban dwellers have hitherto been ignored
yet are vulnerable:
– Increased flooding
– Reduced available water
– Increased food prices
– Urban fires

11. MnU working in informal settlements to:
– To increase the level of awareness of the
urban informal settlement communities on
CC
– To enhance Nairobi’s informal settlement
communities’ preparedness and capacity
to cope with weather extremities
particularly floods and droughts (drainage
improvement)

12. – To increase the water supply options for
the urban informal settlement communities
particularly during floods and droughts
– To significantly increase the urban
informal settlement communities’
advocacy skills with particular emphasis
on climate change and adaptation
measures

13. Urban WES programme-
Pictorial

35. Arid and Semi Arid WES
programme

43. Advocacy

47. Maji na Ufanisi as a WES hub in
Kenya
• Civil Society urban Dev Prog (Sida)
• ANEW Secretariat - linking WES CSOs in all
5 sub regions of Africa
• International Federation of Science –
facilitating water related research Eastern
Africa region
• Promoting urban dwellers participation in
Env. matters (CDTF)– facilitating 5 NGOs in
Nairobi
• Chairing various initiatives (WES in Informal
settlements (NWC), KCCWG, Water thematic
Group)

48. Current partnerships
• Local partnerships – AWSB, Rotary Club of
Nairobi. EABF, APA Insurance, Chandaria
Foundation
• Peer NGOs e.g. Pamoja Trust + Umande
Trust
• Bi lateral partnerships – Christian Aid
Cordaid, Sida ( programmatic), Water
Canada,
• Multi lateral partnerships – UN Habitat, EU
Water Initiative, UNICEF and UNDP