YOUNG PEOPLE IN

POVERTY SITUATION
IN NAIROBI:
Social Challenges
and Cultural Values






Fr. Alejandro Luis Marina
Nairobi Kenya
2014


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INTRODUCTION

Young people are always a great sector in countries of the third world. And also
they are a symbolic expression of social situation. They carry over their shoulders the
past, have all the future in their hands, and they build the present with critical eyes and
by their own way. They live between traditional and moderns life styles.

Youth, as a socially constructed category that alludes to real phenomena has a
symbolic dimension, but also must be analyzed from others dimensions: we
should attend to facts, material aspects, historical and political aspects between
where each social production is developed. (Marguilis, 2008, p. 2)

When I arrived in Kenya, my will was to know as much as possible about
Africa. Father J oe took me to visit a small community in a settlement near the
Maryknoll house, where he shares the life and the gospel with the families. In the place,
I met the man who is in charge of the jumuiya and then we went walking to show me
what they are doing there and meet some people of the community. I met two young
ladies of the community that are working in a project for women who want to start a
small business, a woman who teach needlework, a man who has a small bar where
young people goes to see sports matches on the TV, and I talked with a young man who
tried to ask me for money because he understood that I was Messi (the soccer player).
This young man, when he notice that I were a priest, changed his conversation
and told me about his work carrying boxes, furniture or other things for his neighbors.
He looked to be very poor, not well instructed and seemed to be a drug or alcohol
consumer. But, he put inside of me the will to know about the situation of young people
in poverty situation in Kenya

Kenyans in the age bracket of 30 years and below constitute about 75% of the
country's population, forming the largest source of human resource. However,
they have remained on the periphery of the country's affairs and their status has
not been accorded due recognition. They have been excluded from designing,
planning and implementing programs and policies that affect them.
Many of the youth who are productive and energetic remain unemployed,
continue to suffer from poor health, and lack sufficient support. Some of them
have special needs that require attention. These include those living on the
streets, those living with HIV/AIDS, the girls and those with disabilities.
The responsibility of ensuring that the aspirations and hopes of the youth are met
cannot be left in the hands of a single stakeholder. Everyone in the community,
both young and old, must play their role. (KENYA NATIONAL YOUTH
POLICY, 2007, p. 1)
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Talking in the house with Divine Word priests and later with my field assistant, I
supposed that Kibera slum could be a perfect place to begin my research work in this
matter. So we take contact with Missionaries of Guadalupe who work there in the slum
to make a first approach to this reality.
When I was thinking to do my research about young people in poverty
situations, my first plan was to do it in three areas of Kenya: urban, rural and in a
particular ethnic group. But during observation in the field work, I realized that youth
situation in the slum, other settlements, an also in small towns, involves a lot of issues
to analyze for better understanding about what poverty means in Kenyan young people.
So I decided to concentrate my field work in young people in poverty situation,
the social challenges and cultural values. By "social challenges" I will refer to access to
study and work for young people between 15 and 30 years old, and how the absence of
this elements challenge the society. By "cultural values" I will inquire about the values
of African culture that are in the base of the problems or the signals of changing values
in these situations. By young people I will refer to the group between 12 to 30 years
old.
It is necessary to define what I want to say by poverty and which is the place of
young people is in African society. With the concept of poverty I mean, that poverty
situation for young people refer to be illiterate and to have access or not to a formal job.
They are the reasons of many problems in the life of young people. This kind of poverty
is referred to urban environments because in rural areas there are other elements, like
livestock, that define who is poor and who is not.
I have in my mind two values of African culture that are in game in this matter:
A holistic education and hard work. Youth in African culture has a different
meaning that the one I am giving in this work. It supposes that after the rites of passage
they are adults, prepared to marriage and to continue the lineage. In some ethnic groups
they have specific responsibilities in community as to be warriors or shepherds. But I
will follow the definition that the people of Christ the King Parish gave me, and the one
of the Kenya National Youth Policy:
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Man in charge of Faith Department of Christ the King: The youth service of the
parish is divided in three groups: Pontifical Missionary Childhood (6-10), Teens
(15 and below), and Youth (15-30) (Cf. Appendix I, N 7)
Kenya National Youth Policy: This policy defines a Kenyan Youth as one aged
between 15 30 years. This takes into account the physical, psychological,
cultural, social, biological and political definitions of the term. (MINISTRY OF
YOUTH AFFAIR, 2007, p 1)
I will divide this paper in three parts: Observation and Listening, Social
Challenges and Cultural Values, Conclusions.
The object of this paper is to get an approach to the reality of young people in
poverty situation in Kenya inside of slums, settlements and small towns, and to
enunciate the social challenges that this situation presents, as well as the cultural values
that are in the base of the problems.

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1. OBSERVATION AND LISTENING
I have always worked pastorally in areas of poverty situation, also in places with
a similar situation of the slum. But usually when I arrive to any place for the first time, I
presuppose my ignorance about it. Each new place is, for me, as a beautiful painting that
was transformed in a puzzle that I have to piece together by observation.
Ethnography starts with a conscious attitude of almost complete ignorance
(Spradley, 1980, p.4)

1.a KIBERA SLUM
Today, Kibera is the largest and most densely populated of these settlements in
Nairobi an all sub-Sahara Africa. It is located 7 kilometers Southeast of Nairobi
City Centre and covers an area of 550 acres or approximately 110 hectares. Split
by the Nairobi-Kimuyu railway line, Kibera is divided into two areas by number
of streams and valleys. The estimates on Kiberas population vary according to
different sources because there is no accurate census data. However, the majority
of researches estimate that between 600000 and 700000 people live in Kibera.
(Bodewes, 2005, p. 168)
When you go into Kibera slum, you feel like entering in a big city with a lot of
life inside. I have never seen any settlement with the dimensions and such volume of
population like Kibera:
People are everywhere, walking, selling, buying, talking, seated somewhere.
Small business in both side of the street: barbershop, fish shop, butchery,
clothes, shoes, electric implements, tools, food, and many others.
Majority of people is young. I saw young people working in the street or in the
small shops, coming back home from the school, walking down the street, chatting with
others, seated aside, or apparently doing nothing.
You can see different Churches in many places of Kibera: Catholic, Evangelist;
Pentecostal, Traditional, Muslim, African Initiated, and others.
People said that there are almost 1 million of person living in Kibera, and it is
possible because of the dimensions of the place and the quantity of people you can see.
6

Is evident that the families are from different parts of Kenya because of the way
of dressing. Especially you can observe this by clothes of women.
Some religions are easy to identify by their clothes also, as the Muslim and some
African Churches that I cant know its name yet.
The slum is great, but as you can see there are two sectors: one is that of those
who are located at two sides of the tracks, and the other is in the hollow.
The houses are made with pieces of wood and tin roofs.
Everywhere there is much accumulated waste, either in bags or scattered in the
spaces between the houses.

The firsts and casual conversations with young people in the street did let me to
know that there are young people studying and other without formal education. When
we were in front of a Catholic Church trying to know its name, my field assistant asked
to three men in the street, while I asked the same to some girls with scholar clothes. I
talked with them in English and both girls answered me in English too. The same
happened with the three men that were talking with the field assistant. These
conversations were about religion: I asked to the girls if they know the name of the
Church, they answered that they knew that is a Catholic Church but they didnt know
the name. Then I asked them if they were Catholic and they told me they were Legion
of Mary. I learned from them that Legion of Mary in Kenya is an African Initiated
Church, not as in Latin America that is a movement inside of Church.
Later, after we had visited the Church and had talked with some people working
there, outside of the Church a young man talked in Swahili with the field assistant.
When I said something to him in English, he asked to other guy who was with him,
what I have said. That young man looked as a very poor guy, and also seemed to be
drunk or something like that. His friend told me that the other guy speak only Swahili
because he left the school. Later I asked my field assistant about this situation and he
told me that many youth abandon school because of the money or other problems and
sometimes they become deviant. The question that emerges is: The support of the
community in rural areas is something missed when the people move to the city?
On Sunday we participated of the mass in Christ the King parish. It was a
beautiful mass: Children dancing, great choir, and so many people at the celebration. I
7

could see the diversity of people at the Church: in ages, clothes, social position, function
in the community, devotions, etc.
The parish has good organization. Father Carlos told me: They divided the
territory in five sectors, and in each sector there are many jumuyias. We have lay people
in charge of the pastoral environment, primary school, high school, women project. He
also said: The big problem in the parish is tribalism. We celebrate every 1
st
Sunday
what the community call: Mass of union
We went to the parish again on Tuesday to talk with Father Carlos about the
youth service and the situation of young people in the slum. But he said that they are not
allowing people to do research in the parish. He made an exception with us and asked
the man in charge of the Department of Faith to give us information. But, the
information received by people of the parish was not useful for the research of the
situation of young people living in poverty. Basically they told us that there are two
kinds of youth in the slum: the ones who come to the Church and try to live better, and
the others who dont go to any Church and are involved in consumer of drugs, alcohol,
violence, and crime. Other information that they gave us, was contradictory, because
some of them talked to us about the problem of tribalism and others said that tribalism
was not a problem between parishioners.
1.b HANDICAPPED CHILDREN IN MISSIONARIES OF CHARITY
The visit to the house of Missionaries of Charity was not part of the plan in the
visits of field research. I wanted to go to greet the sisters and give them greetings from
the sisters of Cochabamba. But once in the place, I saw that all the intern girls were
young.
The conversation with one of the sisters let me know that is a great problem in
society this kind of children. She said: Many of them are abandoned by their families
because of their situation. Others are orphans and dont have any family to take care of
them. Some times are the grand parents that take care of these children but usually, they
are not well received. Many of them thinks that they was born like this because of a
curse.
Community attitudes and practices embedded in cultural beliefs, taboos, rites of
passage and religion can create obstacles to PWDs participation in social or
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economic activities. The survey found that it is a common belief among a
majority of the communities in Nyanza, Western, Eastern, Coast and Rift Valley
provinces that disability is a curse. According to one participant in rural Kisii,
We enclose them indoors. It is a curse and great shame to the family. Some
families do not even mention their names or talk about them.
Members further shared the following sentiments as reflected in their responses:
The PWDs are greatly discriminated against in this area. Most people feel like
it is a curse to have a PWD in the family. To most people in the area PWDs are a
burden to them in that they cannot do anything on their own without any
assistance. (KENYA NATIONAL SURVEY FOR PERSONS WITH
DISABILITIES, 2008, p. 66)
I dont know if this reality changed in the last years. In the conversation with the
sister, she told me: There is also another house in Kibera with boys in the same
situation of the girls in their house. I asked some people at the university and they said
that is truth that many families feel ashamed with a child with disability, and that
government is not doing sufficient things for them.
1.c KISII LAND
We visited Kisii to take contact with the ancestors land of my field assistant. It
was a good experience witch gives me a near approximation to a particular group of
Kenyans.
In the encounter with people, I noticed about some of the problems that I am
working in this paper: illiterate young people, youth that abandon school for different
reasons, alcoholism in youth, punishment by teachers to students, youth in the street,
children workers, marriage of girls on an early age.
The Kenya National Youth Policy (MINISTRY OF YOUTH AFFAIR, 2007, p.
3-4) mentions some issues impinging on the youth:
Unemployment and underemployment
Health related problems
Increasing school and college drop-out rates
Crime and deviant behaviour
Limited sports and recreation facilities
Abuse and exploitation
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Limited participation and lack of opportunities
Limited and poor housing

In these topics, the document talks about the difficulty of youth to find a job.
The problems of health (HIV/AIDS, Malaria, drugs and substances abuse) are more
common in youth population and there is a poor access to health services. Female
genital mutilation and teenage pregnancy are unique to the female youth. Some of the
consequences of these are dropping out of school and risks to life through unsafe
abortions. The cost of school and the re-admission policy for teenage mothers, among
others, are some of the reasons of the abandonment of school. Some of the students that
drop-out of school become deviant. Other problems with a lot of consequences are the
abuse suffered by many children and the exploitation of child workers.
On Tuesday morning, I woke up early and went outside to pray for a while.
Outside was one of the workers of the house and he came and greeted me. I tried to talk
with him but he only spoke the local language. During the walking of the night before, I
talked with two or three persons that also spoke in their own language and not in
English. So I asked the field assistant if that reflects the level of illiteracy in Kisii area.
He told me that there are many illiterate persons in the community. He also said that
some youth abandon school because of the mistreatment by the teachers, who one could
expect to be loving guardians. Such young people end up leaving school, get married or
engage in child labor or in the extreme cases become deviants. I saw many of them in
the street and in small bars located in galleries in Main Street. In conversation with a
young man in Kisii who came to me with a bottle in his hand and talked about his
situation, he said that he abandoned school and is difficult for him to find a job. I asked
him why he was drinking, but he told me that he was looking for sponsor to help him.
The field assistant and another man told the young man to either go back to school or
work for a living because he is young and healthy.
1.d SMALL CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY ST. KIZITO, WARUKU
Small Christian Communities are the way to build the Church in different places
in poverty situation in Africa. The spirit of these communities is connected with value
of community in African culture.
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We went to St. Kizito to meet some people of the community and talk about the
situation of young people in that settlement. They have introduced us some youth for
speaking about different issues.
The man in charge of the jumuyia, talked about the situation of being migrant in
Nairobi. He told us: Im from the western part of Kenya. I came here with two of my
sons for a better work. I work as a photographer, one of my sons works in the airport
and the other one in a supermarket. It is difficult for me to be separated of the rest of the
family, but in this way I can send money for the school of my other two sons and my
two daughters. He also said: In the jumuyia we talk about the situation in the slum
and we share the Gospel. What is most important is that we support each other. (Cf.
App. I, N 16)
Two ladies have talked with us about the situation of unemployment. They said:
We are working in the Chamo, a small group of women that helps each other to make
their own business. They give some money every week and one of the members takes it
to work with it. It is like a small credit (Cf. App. I, N 17)
In different opportunities I have talked with three young men working with
small carts carrying packages for their neighbors. Kilonzo told me that he was 20 years
old and talked about how hard is his job. Steve told me that his parents died, he has to
children and he has to work for them. William told me that he is 17 years old and he
work to help his family. The three young men said that they only did primary school
and then abandoned the school because of the money, and they started working. (Cf.
App. I, N 18, 21)
When we talked with Tush, a young man of 22 years old, working in artistic
activities on the street, he told us: Im orphan; I grew up in a House for orphan people
that belongs to a Church. I did primary school and quit, then I started working on the
street doing jugglery. I also make handicraft and drawings and with that job I paid my
rent and I thank God because now I have a home (Cf. App. N 22). In classes
discussion we were told that home in African Culture is the community: family,
relatives, ancestors, land. I was wondering what happens with this concept in urban
situation, especially in slums and settlements? What does it means?
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The wisdom of feeding is a knowledge that is acquired at home in childhood. In
Waruku I met a group of 5 women and a man. They were cooking reds and black beans.
I greeted them and told to the woman who was cleaning the black ones that I liked black
beans. They taught me saying: Black beans are for mothers in the period of nursing
and red beans are to become stronger (Cf. App. N 23)



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2. SOCIAL CHALLENGES AN CULTURAL VALUES
As I have said in the introduction, by social challenges for this paper we mean
the access to study and work and how the absence of them are challenging society. I
believe that behind the consequences of poverty there are some cultural values broken
or in a period of change.
During field research, between interviews and occasional conversations, social
challenges came to light and made me think about cultural causes. Are there some
cultural values at the base of some poverty situations? Are urban slums a place where
some cultural values are broken? These are the questions that emerged in my mind
during field work and the lectures in classroom.
2.a YOUTH AND RELIGION
Religion is one of the most important aspect of African Culture.
In Africa, there is an essentially transcendental perception of all life because
all reality is situated in the sacred realm, which is a spiritual sphere. A peoples
life is their religion, so that religion, or spirituality for that matter, is not
identifiable as a separate institution but permeates the whole society. (Magesa,
2014, p. 24)
Evidently in a paper like this is impossible to write all about the thematic of the
relation between young people and religion. What we are going to do in this part is to
indicate some data recorded during field work. Our observations are focused in the
participation of young people in religion en slums, settlements and small towns.
A priest of Legion of Mary told us: There are many Churchs in Kibera. J ust
around my house is our Church, but there are two Traditional Churchs, three
Pentecostals Churchs, two Christians, one Muslim and one Catholic. (Cf. App. N 12)
When you walk around these places you can see the presence of different Churchs and
Temples everywhere. I agree with professor Katola when he said in class that this
presence has two meanings: The central place of religious life in African Culture, and
the difficulty to live their own practices in urban areas.
About young people, the priest of Legion of Mary said: There few youth in our
Church. It is difficult to engage them in religion. I think that young people enjoy the
13

Churches where the music is modern and noisy. When we asked why youth seem to be
deviant, he said: It is because they abandoned cultural teachings that form a person to
live a responsible life. The youth resort to embracing modernity in place of traditional
systems of conducting themselves. (Cf. App. N 12)
Anyway, the priest said, in Legion of Mary young people have the ability to
communicate with the founder Baba Simeon. That is their role in community.
The man in charge of Faith Department in Christ the King parish at Kibera,
spoke about the organization of youth service. He said: We are working with three age
groups: Pontifical Missionary Childhood (6-10), Teens (15 and below), and Youth (15-
30). These pastoral groups have more than hundred persons. People who come to the
groups are a mix of the most poor and others. There is no ethnic or tribal discrimination
among the youth because most of them were born and grew up in the slum and they
were therefore not exposed to interethnic prejudices as is the case of adults (Cf. App.
N 10)
When he was asked about other problems connected with young in poverty
situation as well as addictions, his answer was not convincing for me: The youth that
come to the Church are not involved in the consumption of drugs and alcohol. Drug use
and alcohol consumption is done by people that do not go to any Church and they live
in other parts of the slum that are beyond their jurisdiction. There are two groups of
young people in the slum: the ones who come to the Church (that are good people), and
the others (that have problem with drugs, violence and crimes) I know that there was a
Rehabilitation Center inside of the slum, because I have talked with a priest (J ohn) who
is working in a program of the Church for people with addiction problems.
In conversation with young people in Kibera, Waruku and Kangemi they
recognized that they are alive because of God protection. Between 10 people that
participated in different conversations there were two identified as Legion of Mary, two
Catholic and 6 said they believe in god but they dont go to any particular Church.
One Sunday I participated in the meeting of the J umuyia St. Kizito, a Small
Christian Community located in Waruku. They are almost 50 persons in this jamuyia
and they meet every Sunday afternoon. They pray the Rosary, they share the Gospel and
then they talk about different situations of the neighborhood. In this opportunity they
14

talked about the wedding of one couple who participates in the community. One of the
problems of the community is the absence of youth. They are worried because is
difficult engage youth in the community. The priest of the community told me later, that
the real problem is the traditional value of the respect to elders: young people cannot
speak when adult people are in conversation. In this case a traditional value becomes a
difficulty for the development of the jumuyia.
2.b YOUTH AND HARD WORK VALUE
Hard work is a strong value in African Cultures. In the way to Kisii I saw
shepherds allover taking herding their livestock (cows, goats and sheep). Many of them
were children and young people. Families, especially mothers teach their children the
importance of work for the community. After the rites of passage to adulthood, youth
receive different responsibilities between the communities. But, what happens with this
value in the slum, settlements and small towns?
The Kenya National Youth Policy, about the situation of youth in Nairobi, says:
The youth in Kenya, who number about 9.1 million, account for about 32% of
the population. Of these, 51.7 % are female. The youth form 60% of the total
labour force but many of them have not been absorbed in the job market owing
to the country's high unemployment level. (MINISTRY OF YOUTH AFFAIR,
2007, 1)
In urban areas, especially in slums and settlements, cultural values experiment a
process of adaptation and recreation. Some values are difficult to live in the city because
of the influence of economic and the sociologic factors.
During field research work, we have found some of these factors that affect
young people in order to live the value of hard work.
About the matter of access to work and unemployment situation, we received the
following information:
- Most of the youth who were interviewed are working in informal jobs where
the pay is poor and only useful for survive.
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- One widow who was abandoned by her husbands family told us that she
had had to rent another house and start working selling clothes in a small free air
market near Kibera to pay the rent and to feed her daughter. (Cf. App. N 4)
- Three young men that are working with small carts carrying packages
from the bus stop to Waruku slum, talked about the difficult situation of
unemployment. They said that you have to pay someone or have a friend to get
a good job. (Cf. App. N 18, 21)

- One young man of 20, orphan, works doing jugglery in the streets. (Cf.
App. N 22)
- Two women are members of a group that help young women to initiate
their own small business. They said that is no easy for a single mother find a job
and with the small credit they start something to do. (Cf. App. N 17)
- A young man of the jumuyia, who works as chef, told us that living in the
slum many people dont want to admit you for job. (Cf. App. N 24)
- There are many youth in slums and settlement that could not finish
studies and the situation in their case is worst.
- Majority of people are working in informal job: small shops inside of the
slum, selling something in the street, carrying packages in small carts. Other
youth dont work and are looking for sponsors. Few of them are illiterate and it
is very difficult for them to find a job.
2.c YOUTH AND TRIBALISM
The people who live in slums and settlement have come to the city from
different parts of Kenya and also from other countries of Africa. They live side by side
in the same neighborhood. In some big slum, as Kibera, the groups are distributed in
different sectors, but in others people of different ethnic group live side by side. The
appreciation of tribalism as a problem is diverse between the people interviewed.
- The priest of Christ the King parish told us that tribalism is the biggest
problem in the communities. Each sector of the parish and each jumuyia
16

inside of those sectors are constituted by people of different ethnic groups.
He told that they try to stimulate unity through celebrating an onlu Mass on
the 1st Sunday each month. (Cf. App. N 6)
- The man in charge of the Faith Department, of the same parish, told us that
there is no problem of tribalism in the parish. Young people, especially those
who grew up in the slum and go to Church have good relationship with other
ethnic groups and between them there is no discrimination. He also said that
young people has their own language with a common accent to eliminate
differences. (Cf. App. N 10)
- A man of the choir of Christ the king parish told us that tribalism is a big
problem in slum. He talked about the Nubians, the first group located at the
slum, and said that they are violent and young people in that group are
involved in delinquency. (Cf. App. N 8)
- The women of the jumuyia St. Kizito, told us that there is no problem of
tribalism. The small community is integrated by people of different groups
and they work together to build community without problems. But, when we
were sharing the meeting on Sunday and they started to talk about the
wedding of one of the couples that are members of the jumuyia, they tried to
explain me the problem of bridewealth. It was in that moment when the
difference of practices in each ethnic group became in a disagreement
between them. (Cf. App. N 20)
- Some of the young people interviewed in Waruku, identified as Luhya said
that to find a job you need to have a friend of your ethnic group to help you.
2.d YOUTH AND EDUCATION SYSTEM
Overall, over 20% of the youth in Kenya are aged 15-24 years. The youth
account for approximately 80% of the unemployed 40% of the population, and
the youth aged 18-20 form the largest group of youth in the urban areas.
Opportunities for training are lacking and majority of youth in the slums have
limited likelihood of access to secondary education. Kenyas chance of tackling
poverty will depend on the extent to which there is expanded opportunity for
secondary education and skills training for youth ages 15-24 years. (OKETCH
AND MUTISYA, 2012, p. 1)
During field research we find three problems in matter of the education system:
illiteracy, abandon of school, and the money for study.
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Illiterate in Kenya has two meanings: People who didnt go to school and people
who only speak their mother tongue.
- A young man at Kibera slum, with whom we try to talk, only spoke in
Swahili. I spoke to him through his friend and the field assistant. He said that he
only went to primary school but he dont understand or speak English. (Cf. App.
N 3)
- An adult man and two young people in Kisii only spoke traditional
language. I try to talk with them in a moment that my field assistant was in other
part of the house, but they couldnt understand and me neither when they try to
answer in their tongue. (Cf. App. N 14)
- In Kisii, Kibera, and Waruku I saw many young people doing nothing in
different days. Asking to my field assistant he told me that it is a big problem in
some areas the abandon of school. He said: There are many illiterate persons in
the community. Some youth abandon school because of the mistreatment by the
teachers, who one could expect to be loving guardians. Such young people end
up leaving school, get married or engage in child labor or in the extreme cases
become deviants. (Cf. App. N 14)
- Three young men in Waruku who work carrying packages said that they
only did primary school and then started to work. (Cf. App. N 18, 21)
- A young man in Kangemi, 20 years old, orphan, said that he did primary
school and then star working as a jugglery in the streets. (Cf. App. N 22)
- Many people interviewed talking about employment, said that most of
the money they win in their jobs is for the school of their children. One of them
said that he came to city for work and send money to her wife for the school of
his youngest kids. (Cf. App. N 16)
- About traditional system of education. I had the opportunity of seeing in
the way to Kisii many children and youth as shepherds. I imagined that
responsibilities in community are something teached by the families since
childhood. I had the same feeling when we talked with a group of people that
were cooking beans at the entrance of a house, and they teach me about nutritive
qualities of beans.
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2.e YOUTH AND OTHER CULTURAL ISSUES
Cultural values and practices are important in terms of identity but sometimes,
they can become a problem in modern life in the city.
- INHERITANCE: In two cases we met with widows who were dismissed
by their husband family. We talked with one of them as I have referred before. It
seems that not always the compromise to take care of the family of the deceased
member is performed. (Cf. App. N 4)
- CURSE: Some beliefs become an inhuman practice as when we have
referred talking about handicapped children. (Cf. App. N 11)
- BRIDEWEALTH: For people in poverty situation is not easy to surpass
the negotiation process of the families to married. (Cf. App. N 20)
- RESPECT TO ELDERS: I have wrote before about this matter when I
described the problem of youth in the jumuyis St. Kizito. Young people dont go
to jumuyia because they cannot speak in front of adult people. (Cf. App. N 19)
- TRIBE AND ETHNIC GROUP: All the people we met during field
research work introduced themselves saying the name of their ethnic group and
from what part of Kenya they are. This is a good value because refer to identity
and love for its own land and family. But in the situation of urban slums and
settlements, sometimes, become a problem between different groups. (Cf. App.
N 8, 9, 10)
- NAMING: When we visit the house of the Priest of Legion of Mary, he
told us that he was married and he has 8 kids. One of his younger sons was
named after Ogecha, my field assistant because he was the last person who came
to the house before the child was born; the youngest was named after Pope
Francis because he was born a week later of his election. (Cf. App. N 12)
19

CONCLUSION
Poverty situation in big cities is quite similar around the world. Migration of
people from rural areas to town has made the cities to grew up extremely. The
expansion of the city is because of the informal settlements located in periphery.
- Young people situation:
Young people in these urban settlements are confronted with different
problems: economic, sociologic and educational, also with problems of discrimination,
and sometimes violence, addictions, prostitution, early pregnancy, illiteracy among
others.
- Cultural values and ethnic identity
These elements of identity are very important for all human being. When a
person migrate from his home to city, comes with all his values and proud of his
identity. But, with the time, in settlements and slums, neighbors become the new
community of reference. They need to support each other to survive and any expression
of tribalism transform daily life in a big problem.
Some values, beliefs or cultural practices, us well as we have mentioned on this
paper (Inheritance, curse, bridewealth, respect to elders, ethnic identity, burial rites)
may become a problem for youth in slums and settlement.
- Relationships
Relationships, so strong in native community, need to be recreated and new nets
start to sustain the life of people in urban locations. For young people growing up in the
city, rural land and traditional values become a different language hard to understand.
The access to modernity makes them feel that there is nothing from the rural area and
traditional values or practices that mean something to them. It is hard to say this, but
many people with whom we were talking during field research have told us their
disagreement with traditional practices or principles. The group of reference for young
people in the city is no longer the ethnic group or the household, but the group of
friends. Modern technologies gave them other abilities and possibilities of
communication.
- Education
Education in African culture is a holistic program composed by formal
and informal education, different actors (parents, family, community, school), and is
something that take place to the end of your life.
In urban areas, especially in slums and settlement this holistic program is
broken. Great part of education responsibility is deposited in school, the community is
no longer your ethnic group but the neighborhood (some people or families are alone in
the city, they have no relatives here).
20

Young people, usually learned more about life from their friends and in the
street than in his families. The control that native communities perform over the young
generation is not easy to do in town.
There are many young people that abandon school in urban areas because the
school is too expensive and their families cannot pay it. This situation provoke that
young people of 13 years old, stop study and start to working or in some cases they
become in deviants behaviours.
- Access to Work
As we have said, hard work is a strong value in African culture, but becomes
in something very difficult to live in urban areas.
There is no work for all the persons living in the city. Young workers sometimes
are exploited or are put aside because of their place of residence or because they have
no study. Some of them are suspected to be thieves, irresponsible and ignorant.
Some works of the young people in poverty situation are depreciated, are bad
paid, and sometimes they suffer mistreatment from the people.

Finally, I want to say some characteristic of the youth that I have met during
field research, and say thank to them because they taught me about the reality an culture
of Africa.
Life can be very difficult for young people who grow up in slums, settlement
and other places in poverty situation. Sometimes they suffer abandon, violence,
discrimination, and mistreatment. Other times they have fewer opportunities than other
youth. And many times they fall in drugs/alcohol consumption, delinquency or other
deviant behavior.
But, what I admire of them is their willing to live and their spontaneous way to
establish relationship with others. I know that being foreign I have more possibilities
that people come up to me and start talking, but I am thinking about Kilonzo, Steve,
William, Tush and their smiles. They freely give me that beautiful smile and start
talking about their life, difficulties, dreams and their fights to surviving.




21

BIBLIOGRAFA
SPRADLEY, J ames, Participant Observation, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, INC., United
States of America, 1980.
MARGUILIS, Mario (Editor), La juventud es ms que una palabra, Ensayos sobre
cultura y juventud, Editorial Biblos, Buenos Aires, 2008 (Youth is more tan a Word.
Essay over culture and youth - Translation is mine)
KENYA NATIONAL YOUTH POLICY, SESSIONAL PAPER N0. 3, OF J ULY 2007,
Ministry of Youth Affairs, p. 1, 3
BODEWES, Christine, Parish transformation in Urban Slums, Paulines Publications
Africa, Kenya, 2005, p. 168, 31
NATIONAL COORDINATING AGENCY FOR POPULATION AND
DEVELOPMENT (NCAPD) AND KENYA NATIONAL BUREAU OF STATISTICS
(KNBS), Kenya National Survey for Persons with Disabilities, Main Report, November
2008

OKETCH, MOSES & MUTISYA MAURICE, Education, training and work amongst
youth living in slums of Nairobi, Kenya, UNESCO, EFAGMR, 2011
MAGESA, Laurenti, What in not sacred? African Spirituality, Acton Publishers,
Nairobi, Kenya, 2014

22

APENDIX A
Field Research Summary
1) Kibera slum, Nairobi, May 24, 2014. Day of observation to know the place and to
make spontaneous meetings on the street.
2) Kibera Slum, Nairobi, May 24, 2014. To interview teenagers about their
participation in religion. Two girls of 14 years talk about their participation in
Legion of Mary. Two men of 20 and 21 about their participation in Catholic Church.
One man of 29 about a new Church for which he was preaching.
3) Kibera Slum, Nairobi, May 24, 2014. Young man came to us and star talking in
Swahili. I spoke to him in English but he didnt know that language. Field assistant
told me that he was asking about me and that he wanted a sponsor.
4) Kibera Slum, Nairobi, May 24, 2014. Young woman, widow with a daughter of 7
years old. She talked about her situation. Her husband died two years ago and the
family refuse to take care of her and her daughter. She had to move to other house in
the town and is working selling cloths in a free air market in front of Guadalupe
Parish in one of the entrance of Kibera. She told us: When my husband died, his
family live alone with nothing. So I have to move and rent a small house and start
working bay myself
5) Christ the King Parish, Kibera slum, Nairobi, May 25, 2014. To participate at the
mass in the community and to interview some people about the youth in the slum.
6) Christ the King Parish, Kibera slum, Nairobi, May 25, 2014. First interview to
Father Carlos about the Parish. He talked about organization in five sectors and
small communities in each sector: Our big problem in the community is tribalism
He said also that youth service is in the main Parish and they have people from 4-30
in different groups, and for the moment there are six vocations for priesthood
formation that emerged from those groups.
7) Christ the King Parish, Kibera slum, Nairobi, May 25, 2014. To interview the first
seminarian who is the first vocation from the parish. He told me that he grew up in
the slum and later joined Kiserian Minor Seminary run by the Apostles of J esus, and
when he finished he chose to continue with the formation to be a priest. His family
is no longer living in the slum because they since moved to a rural area. I asked him
if he was invited to the minor seminary or was his choice. His answer was both,
was his choice and also the priests had invited him. Then, I asked him about his
friends of the slum. He told me that many of them had finished their studies or still
23

studying and other friends were working. He also said that the life of young people
is not easy there because of the absence of opportunities.
8) Christ the King Parish, Kibera slum, Nairobi, May 25, 2014. Interview to a Man
who is member of the Church Choir to ask about the situation of tribalism and
violence in Kibera. He told that first habitants of Kibera were the Nubians
(Sudanese) settled in a forest (which in the Nubian language is Kibra) by the British
government after they were used in during the Second World War. The Nubians are
Muslims and are perceived to be people who are easily get emotionally worked up
or violent, and their youths are involved in mugging and occasionally murdering
people along the rail line. This makes other ethnic communities to fear them and this
is why they were opposed to President Kenyattas move to give them title deeds.
Then, he told us which ethnic group has problem with which other group.
9) Christ the King Parish, Kibera slum, Nairobi, May 27, 2014. To interview Father
Carlos about youth pastoral service in the Parish. He told us that they are not
allowing people carry out research at the parochial territory anymore. This is
because some people from the slum have in the past presented their complaints to
the Pastoral Team about being used as objects of study. They also argued that some
people come to their houses, ask many questions and the findings of the research are
not availed to them, and the research outcome does not benefit them. The people
said that they felt utilized. Then he said that was going to make an exception with
me by allowing me to talk to the man in charge of Faith Department, who he
believed will give us information that will be of help to us.
10) Christ the King Parish, Kibera slum, Nairobi, May 27, 2014. To interview the man
in charge of Faith Department about youth service in the Parish and matters of
drugs/alcohol consume and tribalism between young people. He said that there are
two groups of youth in the slum. The one who came to the parish or to another
Church and the one who do not go to any Church. The first group is integrated by
good people that has no problem of violence, drugs/alcohol consume or tribalism.
The second group is integrated by people who have all this problems. The people in
the Church have no problem with tribalism. Young people have their own language
in common to transcend the differences.
11) Missionaries of Charity, Nairobi, J un 1, 2014. To interview the sister in charge of
the house about the situation of handicapped young girls. She told me that most of
them are orphans or abandoned. I asked her if it is common that the families
24

abandon them because of their condition. Sometimes, it happens that parents
abandon them but in some cases, grandparents take care of such children. This goes
against the core traditional value of parents taking care of their children. She also
told me that some people think that they were born with this problem because of a
curse.
12) Legion of Mary Church, Kibera, Nairobi, J un 1, 2014. To interview a Father of the
Legion of Mary Church, living in the slum, about the Church and the participation
of youth in it. He related the origin of the Legion of Mary, and told us that there are
few young people in the Church, and that it is difficult to engage youth. He thinks
that young people enjoy the Churches where the music is modern and noisy. When
he was asked why the youth seem to be deviant, he said it is because they
abandoned cultural teachings that formed a person to live a responsible life. The
youth resort to embracing modernity in place of traditional systems of conducting
themselves. He told us about his family and said that he is married and has 6 sons
and 2 daughters. His elder son is renting his own house; the elder daughter was
murder during post elections violence; one of the younger sons was named after
Ogecha (field assistant) and the youngest after Pope Francis.
13) Getembe, Kisii, Kenya, J un 2, 2014. Visit to rural home of Field Assistant to know
the community, characteristics and behaviors. In conversation with Field Assistant
we talk about the ability of Kisii people for business, the behaviors of men at the bar
in the afternoon, the situation of youth that abandon school, the problem of
alcoholism and drugs in young people in the town, the early mothers situation, as
well as the economic and working situation.
14) Getembe, Kisii, Kenya, J un 2, 2014. One of the workers of the house where we sleep
came to greeted me in the morning. I tried to talk with him but he only spoke the local
language. During the walking of the night before, I talked with two or three persons that
also spoke in their own language and not in English. So I asked the field assistant if that
reflects the level of illiteracy in Kisii area. He told me that there are many illiterate persons
in the community. He also said that some youth abandon school because of the
mistreatment by the teachers, who one could expect to be loving guardians. Such young
people end up leaving school, get married or engage in child labor or in the extreme cases
become deviants. I saw many of them in the street and in small bars located in galleries in
Main Street.
25

15) One of this youth in the street came to me and engaged me in a conversation aimed
at sourcing money from me. The young man was sniffing glue in a bottle. I asked
him why he is drunk because he spoke in perfect English (so I supposed that he was
at school). The field assistant and another man told the young man to either go back
to school or work for a living because he is young and healthy.
16) Waruku, Kangemi, Nairobi, J un 7, 2014. Man of 47 years old, member of the small
Christian Community in Guaruko. The interview was about migration. He said that
he migrated from the western part of Kenya searching possibilities of job. He works
as a photographer, free journalist. His wife still in homeland with the younger
children who are at school, and he lives in the city with two of his sons that also
work in the city. He said that it is not easy to be separated of his family.
17) Waruku, Kangemi, Nairobi, J un 7, 2014. Two women working in a project for
women. They talked about the situation of unemployment and their work helping
young women to start a small business to work.
18) Wuaruku, Kangeni, Nairobi, J un 7, 2014. Young man of 20 years old. The interview
was about the access to job. He spoke about the difficulty of getting job when you
dont have study and you live in a place like that. He works carrying packs for his
neighbors.
19) Wuaruku, Nairobi, J umuyia St. Kizito, J un 8, 2014. To share the meeting of the
small community. At the beginning of the meeting, the woman in charge of the
ladies of the jumuiya told us that they dont have young people in the small
community. She said: "Is difficult to engage youth here. They like to go to the parish
but not here". The priest, who works with small communities, told that the problem
is that young people cannot speak when there are adult people talking. So they had
to open other small communities for young people.
20) Wuaruku, Nairobi, J umuyia St. Kizito, J un 8, 2014. One of the men in charge of the
J umuyia, spoke about helping the couple for the celebration. They talked in Swahili,
so I couldn't understand very well. I do not remember why, but they started talking
about the difficulties of getting marriage at the Church. One said that if you dont
marriage at Church is because you are not faithful to your couple. Other said: Is not
easy because of the bridewealth. The families want to negotiate and sometimes it
becomes difficult. The women were in a hard defense of the traditional custom, but
they recognized the difficulties of the traditional way. So, I start to ask: What
happen if the man or his family doesnt have anything to give? One said that you are
26

not obligated to pay. Other disagreed with him and said that it is a big problem in
Africa because if the families dont agree is difficult married. A woman told us that
if both families agree that they are not going to pay is ok. The one who insisted in
what difficult is to get married, is a young man who want to married this year. He
told me that the negotiations between the families have finished but now he has to
talk with the jumuyia and then with the priest of the parish. I asked them: What
happen if man and woman love each other but the families dont want to go on with
the marriage? Some told: You can go by your own way and get marriage. But other
people repeated that is not that simple.
21) Wuaruku, Kangemi, Nairobi, J un 9, 2014. To interview some young people about
job and unemployment. While I was waiting the field assistant at the main road, I
start a conversation with a group of carriers that were in the place waiting for
clients. Two of them (Steve and William) greet me, so I started conversation with
them. I asked if they work together or each one is by their own. He told me that they
work in a cooperative way. Steve spoke very well in English, so I asked if he went
to school. He told me that he has gone to primary school and started high school but
he dropped it because of the money and he started working. William said that he
only went to primary school and for the same reason (money) he didnt go to high
school. They work carrying boxes or heavy packages for their neighbors in Waruku.
Steve said that the people give them 20 sch. for each pack. (The field assistant said
that usually is more but some people exploit them or maybe he is telling me a lie to
provoke my compassion). Steves parents died; he is 20 years old and has two
children, he works to take the food for the house. He is a Luhya, born in western
part of Kenya.
22) Waruku, Kangemi, Nairobi, J un 9, 2014. We met with Tush, a young man who
works as an artist doing jugglery and other things. He is 20 years old, is orphan and
grew up in an orphan house that belongs to a Church. He did primary school and
then he left school and started working. He talked me about the difficulty of get a
good job while you live in the slum. I told him that he was drunk because smelled
the alcohol. He laughed and said that I was right. We talked about take care of
himself and that the alcohol didnt help. He work doing jugglery, handicraft,
drawings and other artistic things.
23) Waruko, Kangemi, Nairobi, J un 9, 2014. Then we met a group of people in the
entrance of a house. A young man and five young women were there. The man
27

greeted me and I saw that one of the women was cooking beans (reds and black).
So, I greeted them and told to the cook that I like so much black beans. She told me
that they are used for mothers with suckling babies. The man said that red beans are
good for get stronger. So I made a joke saying: like me and everyone laughed. He
said that I need to eat more beans and we compare our arms because he looked
strong and with big muscles. We talked about genetic predisposition and other
issues about the food. After this, we continued walking.
24) Waruku, Kangemi, Nairobi, J un 9, 2014. Young man of 25 years old, one of the
younger members of the jumuyia St. Kizito, talking about work he said: living in
the slum many people dont want to admit you for job