For the first time in its 60 years of existence, there is a ray of hope for the one million inhabitants of Kibera, outside Nairobi, Kenya, one of the world’s most densely populated slums. After spending most of his life on opposition benches — or in prison — as a champion of the poor, the member of parliament for this desperately poor constituency is now the prime minister of Kenya.
“An MP’s primary duty is to his constituents. Raila [Odinga] owes his share of power to the youth of Kibera, who not only voted for him but also rose up in arms to protest electoral rigging,” says Eric Otieno, a young man from the majority Luo ethnic community in Fort Jesus, one of the dozen or so villages in this 1.6-square mile slum crowded into a ravine in the Nairobi hills.
“We understand his limitations, as he is only sharing political power with President [Mwai] Kibaki. But all we are asking for is the basic human dignity and survival.”
Whatever approach you take to enter Kibera, the disparity between Nairobi’s poor and rich is conspicuous. You either go past a scuba diving club and a majestic Catholic church, or gaze at the palatial Moi Kabarak, the residence of former president Daniel Arap Moi, which sits in the corner of a golf course just beyond the last of Kibera’s shacks.
**CONTINUES**
“An MP’s primary duty is to his constituents. Raila [Odinga] owes his share of power to the youth of Kibera, who not only voted for him but also rose up in arms to protest electoral rigging,” says Eric Otieno, a young man from the majority Luo ethnic community in Fort Jesus, one of the dozen or so villages in this 1.6-square mile slum crowded into a ravine in the Nairobi hills.
“We understand his limitations, as he is only sharing political power with President [Mwai] Kibaki. But all we are asking for is the basic human dignity and survival.”
Whatever approach you take to enter Kibera, the disparity between Nairobi’s poor and rich is conspicuous. You either go past a scuba diving club and a majestic Catholic church, or gaze at the palatial Moi Kabarak, the residence of former president Daniel Arap Moi, which sits in the corner of a golf course just beyond the last of Kibera’s shacks.
**CONTINUES**
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- goldenways
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- added September 04, 2008
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