Effects of Slum Upgrading On Security Management In Soweto Slums Roysambu Subcounty Nairobi Kenya

Abstract

This study, sought to examine the effect of slum upgrading on slum security management in Soweto slums in Roysambu sub-county, Nairobi, Kenya. It was necessitated by the fact that the low income earners are thus disadvantaged in their effort to redesign their environment to create safer neighborhoods. The three specific objectives that guided this study include; to investigate the social effect of slum upgrading on slum security management, to determine the economic effect of slum upgrading on slum security management and to establish the challenges of security management in the slum upgrading programme for Kahawa Soweto slums in Roysambu sub-county, Kenya. This study was informed by the Broken Windows Theory and the Defensible Space Theory as its theoretical models. The target population for this study was 24,186 people. This study also adopted a descriptive research design and random sampling to select 384 respondents (main respondents) and 10 Key informants (K.I). Semi-structured questionnaires were primarily used to collect quantitative data while interviews and focused group discussions were instrumental in collecting mostly qualitative data. Data collected was organized, and systematically interpreted thematically by use of graphs, frequency tables, and percentages. This study established the relationship between slum setting and rise of crime and insecurity in Kahawa Soweto slums in Roysambu sub-county in Nairobi, Kenya with 69.2% of respondents agreeing to this count. According to this study, poor roads, high poverty levels, low education levels, poor spatial designs/environmental design of slum area and housing, absence of police station and poor lighting predisposed the slum dwellers to crime and insecurity. According to this study slum upgrade will reduce crime and insecurity, given that special aspects such as improvement in spatial designs/environmental design of urban areas and housing with enhanced modern lighting will significantly reduce crime in slums by eliminating criminogenic and insecurity risk factors. According to this study, additionally, improved economic effects of slum upgrading on slum dwellers would build resilience to crime and insecurity. This includes; Job creation, provision of educational facilities such as vocational training institutes (polytechnics), basic education institutions (primary and secondary schools) as well as other skills enhancement institutions. Community empowerment aimed at income generating activities, construction of police station to provide security to the slum dwellers (77%), and construction of better roads (55.3%) were recommended to reduce crime and improve security management in Kahawa Soweto slums in Roysambu sub-county in Nairobi, Kenya.