River. People. Place

The Mukuru informal settlements, with an estimated population of 300,000 people, face diverse environmental challenges, including poor waste management, inadequate sanitation, and deficient infrastructure, leading to recurring flooding and various socio-economic challenges. The pollution of the Ngong River, along which the settlement is located, and poor drainage exacerbate the challenges, posing risks to the ecosystem and the health of the residents. 

Within Mukuru, open and green spaces are extremely rare, with most of these spaces either under institutional ownership or choking with solid waste. In addition, the settlement faces challenges such as poor air quality and increased temperatures, reconfirming the need to provide inclusive, complete public spaces, use nature-based solutions in addressing the settlement’s challenges and making it and its residents more climate resilient. 

Supported by UN-Habitat’s  Block by Block  Programme and co-financed by Jeffrey Cook Trust and the Global EbA fund, the Mukuru Riverfront Public Space Project was implemented by Kounkuey Design Initiative (KDI) in partnership with the Mukuru Youth Initiative (MuYI) in the Mukuru informal settlements, Nairobi.

The latter is a creative hub to empower young people to advocate for community rights and environmental issues through creative, art, music, and campaigns. The project aimed at co-creating a hybridized Green-Grey-Blue catalytic intervention along the Ngong River, one of Nairobi’s most polluted rivers, to reduce flooding risks and contribute to the river’s rehabilitation over time. 

Through six community workshops and two Minecraft sessions, the project gathered design input from the community, creating a shared vision for the future. The proposed designs were presented to residents and stakeholders, and their feedback shaped the final layout. 

The introduction of Minecraft and bricks to the community is something that really changed how the community sees things. They were able to co-create the drainage and public space together and have it the way they want. Having community being part and parcel; understanding through how cocreation works is something that stood out in this project.

The project involved a participatory construction phase, with residents actively participating in construction activities, thus creating livelihood opportunities and enhancing project ownership. The development of a construction committee ensured equitable inclusion of women, men, and differently abled individuals. A total of 237 people attended the workshops, representing the community around the project site. 

During the project implementation, KDI integrated NbS and green infrastructure interventions in the neighborhood to manage flooding and surface runoff leaving sufficient, accessible and safe space for rest, play and enjoyment. The initiative demonstrated the pivotal role of public spaces in mainstreaming the adoption of ecosystem-based adaptation and fostering community-level stewardship.   

We collaboratively built community public spaces to address the persistent issues of inadequate public spaces in informal settlements that involved seizing opportunities to integrate nature-based solutions and advancing equity and inclusivity in access to social infrastructure. This approach integrated all land uses along the riverfront to provide opportunities for and contribute to river remediation. This has been exemplified by the fusing of the Nature-based Solutions (NBS) interventions for stormwater management in Bridge International Academy, the streetscape public space interventions, and the community-led solid waste collection within the vicinity. At the household level, residents made individual efforts to connect to the sewer, and channel runoff to the drainage channel. 

Through collaborative efforts and innovative solutions, the Mukuru Public Space Project not only transformed the space but also empowered the community to actively contribute to the well-being of their surroundings. 

The amazing work you have done at our school which is now flood free and extremely beautiful. Not to mention the outside play area, the upgraded drainage and the bridge to the school, which has now become iconic for photo sessions, especially for weddings happening in the community. The transformation is inspirational, and we cannot thank the KDI team enough.