Urban Transformation and Informal Shelter: Actors, Interest and Change in Mathare Valley

This city briefing presents findings from research on access to shelter and services in Nairobi, Kenya and focuses specifically on informal housing and service provision in the low-income settlement of Mathare. It is part of a three-city study in East Africa also covering Mogadishu, Somalia and Hawassa, Ethiopia. Guided by political economy analysis, the two-year research project investigated why and how city dwellers make certain shelter choices, and generated recommendations to improve access to adequate shelter and basic services for the most vulnerable urban residents.