Friday, after paying a visit to the Kiambiu ward chief and acquiring our police escort, we headed to Nekesa’s hut for a home visit. Nekesa, one of the KELC congregants, is 53 years of age and the mother of three children, 18, 12 & 10 years of age. Her husband passed away in 1984.
Nekesa and her three children share approximately 3 square meters of living space which she rents for 1500 shillings per month. Water is carried from a communal area for cooking, sponge bathing and washing laundry. There is no sewer system in the slums, but for 3 shillings per person, per visit, one can enter a communal out-house for privacy. But for many in the slums, the out-house is an unaffordable luxury, as they are struggling to put food on the table. The alternative is to relieve themselves in the trenches or use a paper bag in their huts. The bag is then tossed out and becomes a “flying toilet”.
Nairobi has a 40% unemployment rate, which is largely made up of people living in the slums. With no help from the government, they are forced to be resourceful in order to survive. The streets of the slums are lined with mini-vendors. When Nekesa feels well enough, she cooks French fries over a fire in the market. When we called on her Friday afternoon, she and her daughters had not yet eaten. They were hungry, but Nekesa had nothing to cook.
In 2005, Nekesa tested positive for AIDs, and like many other Kenyans who have tested positive, they live in fear that their illness will be discovered. They fear being ostracized or perhaps worse yet, being seen as weak and unable to defend themselves and what little they have. Nekesa expressed gratitude for KELC, a place where she doesn’t have to hide her illness; she is treated with respect and is part of a spiritual community who support each other. With the counseling she receives from KELC, she is gaining self-respect and learning to value the life she has.
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