October 2010
Follow us over the course of a year as we help the community of Matopeni in Nairobi, Kenya, build clean water and sanitation facilities.
Christian Aid partner Maji na Ufanisi (MNU) and the Matopeni community have continued to work hard on installing effective drains in the slum throughout September and October and the new drains are nearly complete. Meanwhile a by-election has been held in Matopeni's Starehe constituency, ending months of uncertainty for the local government.
New drains near completion
'The people want to be clean but they are forced by their environment to be dirty.'
Just two months after Maji na Ufanisi and the community of Matopeni began work on the slum's main and feeder drains, they are 80% complete.
With such a personal stake in finishing this work as soon as possible, community members have shown genuine commitment to the project, providing labour to build the drains.
As this part of the project nears completion, mason Hosiah Maina Njogu who is acting as foreman says, 'It will make a very great difference. The environment will be clean. The people want to be clean but they are forced by their environment to be dirty.
'There will be fewer mosquitoes. At night here, without a mosquito net, you cannot survive!'
Work on water pipes beginning soon
Once the drains are finished work will begin on installing a network of pipes to bring a regular supply of clean water to Matopeni. The community's existing taps are connected to broken pipes and the water is contaminated. The water supply is also unreliable with months sometimes passing without any being available.
Matopeni's water will be supplied by the Nairobi Water Company and the community has already received training to ensure that they can collect a small fee for the water to enable them to pay its monthly bill.
Election results announced
Following a by-election in Starehe constituency, where Matopeni is located, the community has re-elected Bishop Margaret Wanjiru as their Member of Parliament. After months of uncertainty, it is now clear who is in charge within local government and Maji na Ufanisi has already been in contact with representatives from the Community Development Fund committee (CDF) responsible for Matopeni.
A formal meeting bringing together the CDF and the community will be held in late October to talk about the community's water and sanitation needs and about when work on the toilet block can begin again.
Slideshow Progress update from Hosiah, slum resident and foreman on the project
