Nairobi is a fast-growing county and the latest census says that Nairobi has a population of over 4.397 million (KNBS and Republic of Kenya 2019). Most housing is rented which is about 34 percent of households rent a single room in informal settlements. Mostly huts are informal settlements (‘slums’)  constructed of iron sheets (wall and roof) with structures of one story or sometimes two stores. While apartments /tenements are five to ten stores built of stone, steel, and concrete.

The Tenements help to meet Nairobi’s booming demand for low-cost housing and escalating land prices. But in recent years, Nairobi has suffered several high-profile collapses of poorly constructed tenements. There are also aging public housing units with informal extensions and homes are a mix of shelter types.  The occurrence of low incomes and insecure informal livelihoods are significant barriers to providing decent and affordable shelter in Nairobi.