Mavoko is situated in Machakos District some 25 km south east of Nairobi. It has an estimated population of 65,000 and is popularly known as Athi River. Mavoko appears to offer a good opportunity for the expansion of the Nairobi Metropolitan Region and therefore, the area is of strategic importance.

Mavoko’s rapid growth, however, has led to an explosive growth of slums around strategic locations close to industries and other places of employment.

Nairobi has the highest growth rates per annum compared to the other growth rates in Africa. 75% of the urban population growth is absorbed by informal settlements. The number of urban population living in slums will double in the next 15years.

Informal settlements cover only 5% of the total residential land area of the city, but they are inhabited by at least half of the city’s population.

The Kenya Urban Sector Study is a rapid appraisal of the urban sector needs in Kenya. It looks at the necessities of towns from Governance, Slums, Gender and Environment point of view and it proposes projects.

Urban youth face challenges that need to urgently be addressed. The global youth unemployment rate, which is estimated at 12.6 per cent in 2013, is creating an environment in which young people are unable to satisfy their basic needs. As demonstrated by the  mass protests in many cities globally, young people believe that their voices are not being heard and their needs are not being addressed.

All these issues are exacerbated by the lack of engagement of youth in governance at all levels which in turn undermines their rights as citizens. As this report demonstrates, youth citizenship and engagement in governance is about more than political engagement. It is as much about dealing with limited access to economic resources and socio-political assets. This begins with engaging youth as equal partners, recognizing their rights to participatein decision-making processes and to productively use their knowledge, perspectives, and experience. 

Since the 1980s, there has been growing recognition of the need to ensure women's equal access to urban public spaces. Many initiatives to mainstream gender by local governments have been documented. Some are comprehensive and are based on supportive policies.

Others are ad hoc and address specific issues, sometimes due to crises. Whatever the context, the initiatives provide lessons that other can learn from. this book documents such initiatives.

This publication is part of the Safer Nairobi project, funded by UNDP, which is working towards a city-wide crime prevention strategy.

This survey is a diagnosis on both crime itself and insecurity surrounding crime in Nairobi. A fundamental requirement of a prevention-oriented approach to crime is the availability of extensive and reliable data and to this end the UN-HABITAT Victimisation Survey of Nairobi is the most comprehensive undertaken to date, being administered in two discrete phases between May and August 2001.

Throughout the study over 10,500 ordinary residents of Nairobi contributed their effort by offering opinions and attitudes to a number of different issues concerning safety and crime.