The NGOS Vs The State In Kibera
Introduction:
Repudiation has for long hunted the settlement of Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya. Although famous for being Africa’s biggest slum, no official numbers have been published over its population, the Kenyan government has resisted to recognize it and aid organizations have been accused of getting profit out of it. Due to the absence of a local government, numerous international and national NGOs have taken over the place.
These were the advising words from Marlene Gamez, a Mexican secular volunteer of the Guadalupe Missionaries in Kenya. She has been working for the past three years in a development project with the women of Kibera. Marlene invited us to know her work, to look at newly constructed buildings, and to meet her colleagues. It must have been a hard task for her to keep an eye on the ten mzungus behind her – visible target – while not loosing notion of time and direction, as we had to get out of Kibera before dark. There is a considerable amount of literature related to the functions played by Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in the African continent; from applauses to critiques.
Some scholars consider that the global south in general is being “swept” by them. These tricky entities to study, due to their rapid increase, their impact in international relations, their diverse functions and goals, and their complex way of establishing networks with other actors. The term Non-Governmental Organization, is also a matter of debate. However, due to limits of time and space, this article will use term NGO based on the concept given by Edwards and Hulmes: “intermediary organizations engaged in funding or offering other forms of support to communities and other organizations.” A whole book could be dedicated to classify and examine these organizations, which is not the purpose of this article.
The case of Kibera:
Background of Kibera:
Before giving detailed information about Kibera, the concept of “slum” must be understood. According to the United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UNHABITAT) report, The Challenge of Slums: Global Report on Human Settlements 2003, there has been a lack of institutional definitions for slum. However they identified important aspects to consider:
[…] Basic services (sanitation, water and, in some cases, electricity) supply are the runner-up in frequency, with nine cities (45 per cent) including these issues in their definition of slums. In the case of Nairobi, basic services and infrastructure are the sole criteria of the definition, which, strikingly enough, appears not to be a priority issue for the actual slum dwellers themselves but more meat needs to be put on these bones.
NGOs “running” Kibera:
As you walk through the slum you will rarely see a state agent, but it isn’t weird to sporadically spot a mzungu walking through the streets, wearing an association’s T-Shirt. These organizations have been given a “special role” in Kibera, because they can operate outside the government’s framework. The amount of NGOs is also an unknown number.
The state vs. NGOs in the Kibera slum:
Bearing in mind all the previous information, the main research question will be address: have the NGOs substituted the state in Kibera in the provision of services? Khan (1999:5, as cited in Obiyan, 2005, outlined three possible relationships between NGOs and the state: hostile relationship, temporary tolerance from the state, or an opportunity for the state to wash their hands and deliberate the provision of services to the NGOs.
Conclusion:
It should be kept in mind that every NGO operating in Kibera has a different relationship with the government. The relationships between these associations and the state are very heterogeneous, so it is impossible to generalize. NGOs should not be considered as the good ones fighting the bad government. Moreover, although these organizations often fail to the expectations given, they do have an impact in the policy-making processes.