At SDI Kenya, we believe that the voices of those closest to the challenges of urban slum living are essential to shaping inclusive cities. This blog serves as a platform where staff, community members, and partners collaborate to share diverse perspectives — covering pressing issues, showcasing transformative initiatives, and highlighting innovative research that drives our mission.
From grassroots-led solutions to climate resilience to the power of data in advocacy, our posts reflect the lived experiences, expertise, and collective efforts shaping a brighter future for Kenya’s urban communities. Dive in to explore the stories that inspire action and amplify the voices of change-makers on the ground.
In Naivasha, the community-led KCC Safe Space Project, supported by Shack Dwellers International Kenya and Muungano wa Wanavijiji, will provide healthcare, sanitation, youth and women’s facilities, and flood-response support.
New publication: Housing Justice at COP30: Civil Society Voices in the Climate Space features SDI President Joe Muturi, who makes the case that community-led slum upgrading is climate action. Discover how grassroots voices are influencing global conversations on housing and climate justice.
Muungano @30 reaffirmed that inclusive housing requires more than construction. Communities must be involved in designing, implementing, and sustaining housing solutions that respond to their livelihoods, realities, and aspirations
At Muungano @30, experts called for stronger community-led solutions to address insecure land tenure, inadequate housing, limited basic services, and climate vulnerability, reaffirming that inclusive cities can only be built by placing communities at the centre.
At Muungano @30, experts called for affordable housing that truly serves low-income communities, emphasizing that inclusive cities require secure land tenure, basic services, and housing solutions grounded in the realities of informal settlements.
Following the devastating 2024 floods in Mathare, residents faced not only the loss of homes and livelihoods but also significant emotional and mental health challenges. Through community-led safe spaces such as Tabasamu Café, survivors found support, healing, and renewed hope, demonstrating that recovery involves rebuilding both lives and communities.
Through media, storytelling, and facilitation training, youth from Mathare are gaining the skills to document their realities, share community-generated evidence, and engage stakeholders in shaping solutions, positioning themselves as storytellers, knowledge brokers, and agents of change.
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Cities Alliance is launching a new initiative addressing the growing risks of extreme heat in informal settlements in Mombasa, Kenya. Supported by ClimateWorks Foundation, the programme is implemented in partnership with SDI Kenya, the Muungano wa Wanavijiji Federation, and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). It focuses on strengthening locally grounded responses to heat exposure, with particular attention to low-income urban residents, while contributing to more responsive and inclusive urban climate strategies.
What happens when young people map their own communities? In Mathare, it means more than better data, it means new skills, new confidence, and new pathways into work. This story traces how community-led data is evolving into a tool not just for advocacy, but for livelihoods.
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