Over the years there have been many stories written about Kibera, often portraying it in a negative light. But KDI’s experience of working with communities in Kibera tells another story. #TujengeKibera (let’s build Kibera) is a campaign to highlight stories of progress and invest in high-potential initiatives in the settlement.
Community cleanups are just one example of the positive actions taken by residents in Kibera
Google “Kibera” and you’ll find endless articles, images and videos painting the settlement as dangerous, dirty, backward, disease-ridden; its inhabitants as desperate, lazy, starving, illiterate, and passive.
These descriptions are not only inaccurate – they also perpetuate the prejudices that ultimately prevent Kiberans from accessing the services and opportunities they deserve.
The #TujengeKibera process
KDI’s Ibrahim Maina, a proud lifelong Kibera resident, drew on experiences from his own life to create a concept for a short film that could challenge these narratives.
In partnership with LightBox Africa, we wrote the film We Have a Life in Kibera and shot it inside the settlement.
Screening of We Have a Life in Kibera
We Have a Life in Kibera offers a more positive and nuanced picture of the settlement, with examples of resident-led community development efforts such as the KPSP network.
The film won the Rockefeller Foundation Storytelling Challenge in 2015 and was first screened in Kibera as part of Nairobi Design Week.
Cynthia Munyiva Mutia receiving her grant from the Chief, KDI Country Director Tatu Gatere, and KDI Senior Communtiy Coordinator, Ibrahim Maina
Proceeds from the award were used to launch the #TujengeKibera competition, calling for proposals for positive change from across Kibera.
Cynthia Munyiva Mutia’s idea to set up a scholarship fund for Kibera students was the winning entry and received financial and progam support. #TujengeKibera continues to be a rallying cry for positive change in the settlement.
