5 February 2018, Nairobi - UN-Habitat Executive Director Mme Maimunah Mohd Sharif today made her maiden visit to Kenya’s Mathare slums where she met with youth, women and civil society stakeholders implementing various community projects in the informal settlement.  The Executive Director toured the Social Tenure Domain Model (STDM) project that is implemented by UN-Habitat and partners including Global Land Tool Network (GLTN), Pamoja Trust and Civil Society Urban Development Platform (CSUDP). The project promotes access to land tenure rights by residents of the informal settlement. Mme Maimunah appreciated the role of partnerships in the implementation of the New Urban Agenda in Kenya and assured the stakeholders that UN-Habitat would review its role in the projects visited with a view to strengthening existing synergies for better impacts.

The Executive Director also visited Mwelu Foundation, a registered Trust established in 2007 to nurture the talent of children in slum communities by providing training in creative arts and essential life skills before concluding the tour at the UN-Habitat One stop Youth Centre in Mlango Kubwa.

While at the One stop Youth Centre, a facility constructed through a collaboration between  UN-Habitat, the Korean Government, Samsung and the County Government of Nairobi,  the Executive Director appreciated the role of public spaces in crime reduction, employment creation and community development.  Mme Maimunah accompanied by Ms Patricia Mutheu, Area Member of County Assembly, later took part in a 15-minute slum girls’ soccer match at the adjacent football pitch.

The Executive Director was accompanied by Naison Mutizwa-Mangiza, Director of ROAf together with staff from Land, Youth, Gender, Housing and External Relations units of UN-Habitat as well as government of Kenya representatives.