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Nairobi, September 14, 2010

First Lady Mrs. Lucy Kibaki has expressed concern over the frequent incidents of fire outbreaks and the deplorable living conditions in informal settlements.

In this regard, Mrs. Kibaki underscored the need to step up the slum upgrading programme in the country.

“The recent tragedy that occurred in Nairobi’s Sinai slum due to a burst fuel pipeline is yet another demonstration of the dangers to which Kenyans who live in informal settlements are exposed,” the First Lady noted.

Besides fire outbreaks, the First Lady said informal settlements in the country lack basic social amenities such as water, drainage and sanitation facilities which render slum dwellers prone to disease outbreaks.

Said the First Lady: “Indeed, the lack of vital basic infrastructure renders slum dwellers to a wide range of risks including natural calamities.”

In view of the dangers involved in living in slums, Mrs. Kibaki emphasized that there was urgent need for the Ministry of Housing to step up the slum upgrading programme so that more Kenyans could have access to decent shelter.

She observed that while long term measures of the slum upgrading programme are being put in place, focus should also put on short term measures to ensure Kenyans living in slums are not vulnerable to avoidable risks.

“One such measure is the need to ensure that informal settlements are accessible in case of fire outbreaks. At the moment, the innermost parts of many of the informal settlements in the country are not accessible due to congestion. Consequently, many lives that might have been saved are lost and property destroyed,” the First Lady said.

To avert the cycle of losses of life in slum areas, Mrs. Kibaki appealed to upon residents of informal settlements and neighborhood organizations to join hands with local authorities and relevant Government departments with a view to improving living conditions in slum areas.