KPSP05 began in January 2012 with a call for submissions from community groups across Kibera. In 2013, KDI selected a proposal from a group in Gatwekera village to build a new site on the Ngong River.

Despite being on a slope above the river, which provided some natural flood defense, the site straddled a major drainage pathway and a natural spring, making it too wet and swampy for previous development attempts. The area was an unsafe, overgrown space that didn’t serve the community.

KDI and community partner Kibera Action Group Organization (KAGO) decided to design a multipurpose structure with movable partitions that would serve as a flexible space for the community. The site also includes a laundry pad and sanitation block connected to a septic and wetlands system, powered by water from the spring, and an improved landscape and drainage way. The resulting cost-effective structure provides adaptable indoor and outdoor spaces for community events and business ventures.

The site was developed through extensive workshops, visioning sessions, asset mapping and prototyping. The sanitation facility was selected after extensive workshops and “toilet tours” to visit well-functioning decentralized sanitation facilities.

KPSP05 continues to evolve and better serve the community. An urban agriculture facility was added to the site in 2015, as part of the Kibera Urban Agriculture Study [link]. KDI and KAGO are currently developing plans for a new pedestrian bridge on the site.