Strengthening Community Organisations for Prosperity Mukuru Fuata Youth Association

As a group of KCDF officers park their vehicle along the busy Enterprise Road in Nairobi Industrial District to access the ‘Fuata Nyayo’ Slum, the usual ‘security precaution‘checks in subconsciously. Its common knowledge to all Nairobians that Fuata Nyayo slums have one of the highest crime prevalence rate in the city and caution while traversing the informal settlement has become second nature.

Benedict Kariuki, an officer with YIKE notices the apprehension exhibited and is quick to assure the team that they are safe. “You can carry your bags, this is currently one of the safest if not the safest informal settlement you will find in Nairobi.” Quips Benedict.

Mukuru Fuata Nyayo is one of the three Mukuru Slums in Nairobi, all bordering Nairobi industrial District. Located off Enterprise Road, it is hard to tell from the busy road
that a sizeable segment of the city population calls the informal settlement home. Up until around 2008, the Fuata Nyayo Slum was an extremely dangerous place to be in just like many informal settlements across the country.

Cases of crime were commonplace and it was reported that every 11 minutes, there was a crime incident taking place ranging from petty crime such as mugging to murder; this was a way of life for many young people in the slum. Any young man or woman growing up in the slum would easily be sucked into criminal activities due to poor role models as well as access to legitimate opportunities for the young people to eke out a living.

Jackson Osore, 26 was born and bred in Fuata Nyayo slum. He is one of the founders of a 24-member Mukuru Fuata Youth Association (MFYA) who have worked and continue to work hard to improve young people’s standards of living in the slum.

MFYA is a beneficiary of a leadership and mentorship programme ran by Youth Initiatives Kenya (YIKE), a community based Non-Governmental Organisation that works with youth in informal settlements across Nairobi. The group was awarded a grant by Kenya Community Development Foundation (KCDF) support to work with 10 youth groups/organizations in strengthening their structures and systems in implementing entrepreneurial activities to increase their income.

“The mentorship programme by YIKE helped us to expand our thinking in coming up and managing viable income generating activities. Other than coming up with IGA’s, we were also taken through group dynamics; money usually breeds contempt in young people especially the disadvantaged youths and we did not want to be like the many
groups who die as soon as there is a windfall”. Says Jackson.

“YIKE also facilitated linkages with a number of credit facilities including the Government to access cheap seed capital for our IGA’s”. Adds Jackson. Through the mentorship, members of MYFA are now engaged in multiple income generating activities and service provision. MYFA currently operates a sanitation block that consists of toilets and bathrooms where users are charged a nominal fee to access their services.

The group has also constructed four single-roomed rental houses, a hall which they hire out and a rabbit-rearing project. The group has built systems that have improved the
way they manage their activities thus contributing to positive results.

“We have learned about transparency and accountability in managing our organization. We have learned how to document our processes and activities. In all our meetings, we write minutes, something that we never used to do. Our processes are formal.

We have proper record keeping and through this, we are able to demonstrate to the members how we spend our resources and remain transparent.” Jackson
affirms. “Beyond the innovative and productive activities that the group is involved in, the fact that they have managed to stay afloat and continue to grow year after year is an achievement. Many past efforts to engage the youth in the slums have failed due to mistrust and lack of focus.

MFYA’s investments are increasing mainly because of the transparency and accountability they exhibit in their dealings both with themselves as well as with creditors. Through the mentorship activities they continue to receive from YIKE, other youth groups can only marvel at their achievements in turning their lives around both collectively and as individuals.

MYFA has also started a Poultry Project to supplement their already existing income from their business interests. The group started as an off-shoot of the Government sponsored Njaa Marufuku (Ending Hunger) initiative. They applied for a small grant and were successful. The poultry project, though still in its formative stages, gives them a net income of KES 9000 a week.

Its anticipated thay once all the chicken are mature, they will be able to make atleast KES 20,000 per week from sale of eggs. With the help of YIKE linkages to access other loans, the group is planning to convert the rental rooms into additional chicken rearing spaces. In their estimation, such a project will not only be more profitable but each of the four rental rooms can create direct employment for four members.

There is demand for eggs ranging from a neighbouring bakery to the community and shops. The group has immediate plans to develop a welfare system for the members. They are working on modalities to be contributing to hospital insurance and a pension plan for the members.