2.4 Conclusion The institutional reforms taking place in Kenya is fostering a positive environment that is opening up new opportunities to address the housing deficit of the country. The right to adequate housing is recognised as a national priority and informal settlement upgrading is included in key policy documents. Furthermore, proposed bills are emphasising the need to partner with various stakeholders, including community representatives. These institutional reforms have been followed by an increased budget to invest in the upgrading of slums in Kenya, as well as new avenues for land tenure regularisation. For Mashimoni, this institutional scenario is opening up opportunities to facilitate the transference of land ownership from the DoD to a form of ownership/lease that would benefit residents of the community.
47
Additionally, the linkages with Pamoja Trust and other NGOs could bridge the financial gap for housing in an affordable and flexible manner. However, all these benefits are underpinned by the need to have a strong, inclusive and representative community entity. Box 3 highlights that there are a number of success stories that highlight the ability of Mashimoni residents to ‘help themselves’, and these
experiences need to be replicated and ‘scaled-up’ to ensure wider, positive change. Muungano is a well-established social movement present in Mashimoni, with extensive networks linked to key players outside the community. However, Muungano has not been able to connect with a large proportion of Mashimoni residents. Therefore alternative options of representation should be considered as this poses a threat to community cohesion. If Mashimoni residents are able to unite in a cohesive and inclusive fashion, the community will be able to take advantage of these newfound opportunities for change. thirty-two Working with Mashimoni residents to identify elements of the web of institutionalisation
thirty-two