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Kenya: Key challenges

Cramped slums create frustrated youth

We use radio, sports and theatre to work with young people living in the slums, such as Felix Oduor, searching for peaceful and productive alternatives [CAFOD]

With one toilet for every 200 people and a lack of job opportunities, the frustrations for the growing slum populations (70% of whom are under 18) across Kenya’s main cities can lead to violent clashes, drugs and crime.

We use radio, sports and theatre to work with young people living in the slums, such as Felix Oduor (pictured), searching for peaceful and productive alternatives.

Ending poverty hampered by corruption

With an economy reliant on tourism, exports of tea, coffee and flowers to Europe, and its Diaspora sending money home, Kenya is a major regional hub for trade and finance.

But it has been debilitated by corruption and bad goverance, which means basic services don’t get delivered, development is hampered, inequality increases, and citizens’ voices remain unheard.

But Kenyans do talk openly about this problem, and we work closely with the Catholic Church to call for good governance and improve citizens’ involvement.

Droughts, conflict and climate change

With only 20% of the country available for farming, and 90% of the population trying to work as hand-to-mouth farmers, access to land is a major reason for conflict.

Meanwhile, the rest of Kenya is dry and prone to droughts. On this land, Kenyans live a nomadic life herding cows, camels and goats. But droughts are becoming more frequent, severe and unpredictable as a result of a changing climate.

Access to water and pasture is increasingly difficult, sometimes leading to violent clashes between communities. Droughts have wiped out whole herds and each successive disaster makes the next one harder to cope with.

Women and children spend half the day walking long distances for water, making it hard for them to do anything else – and yet floods are also increasing.

With such unpredictable weather, small farmers in these dry areas see their crops fail more often, leading to severe hunger problems.

We work with these communities to help them be less vulnerable to drought, reduce conflict and encourage a sustainable way of earning enough to provide for their basic needs.

And when the worst comes and disaster hits, CAFOD provides emergency food, shelter and counselling in response to droughts, floods and conflict.

The new challenge for HIV work

From fishing communities in Lake Victoria in the west of the country who trade fish for sex, to those living on Kenya’s major highways, we work throughout the country fighting the spread of HIV, changing people’s behaviour, and helping affected communities cope with the impacts.

With HIV medicine free in Kenya, many are living longer and stronger, so the new challenge for our partners is providing an income for those now living positively, and helping them get the nutritious food they need to take their medicines.

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