NAIROBI, 25 Jan 2007 (IRIN) - Duncan Otieno, 22, lives in Huruma, one of four main slums in Kenya's capital, Nairobi. Otieno has lived there since coming to the city in 2003 after finishing school in Kisumu, in the west of the country.Four years on, he remains unemployed except for the odd construction job, which helps him pay the rent of his one-roomed house and support his younger brother.
Otieno attended the last day of the World Social Forum, a platform for activists, social movements, networks and coalitions from Asia-Pacific, Latin America, the Caribbean, North America, Europe and Africa to discuss issues affecting poor countries, such as the debt burden, poverty, human rights and access to basic needs.
This year's forum, the seventh, was held in Nairobi from 20-25 January.
For Otieno, attending the forum even for just a day was important because the issues under debate affected him and majority of the people he knows:
"I attended the World Social Forum because they [the participants] were focusing on issues affecting the youth, especially in the slums, such as unemployment, rampant poverty and frustration with the government.
"They were also talking about water which is very expensive in the slums. I pay at least five shillings [US$0.01] for 10 litres of water yet sometimes I do not even have the odd job. The few people in the slums that have running water, those with permanent houses, sell the water to us. We should not be charged for water, it is our right.
"The rent in the slums is also high yet we are poor. I pay 2,000 shillings each month (about $30) yet the house is made of rusted iron sheets. There is no garbage disposal and sewage floats freely across the paths.
"The houses are crammed close together such that we suffer a lot of losses when there are fires in the slums. The government has forgotten us as we have no access roads.
"Developed countries should not look down on Africa; instead they should assist us by cancelling our debts as called for by the forum to enable us to develop. Then we will not depend on donors but rely on our resources.
"The government can then help people start small businesses. For as little as 500 shillings ($7.50) one can be a hawker instead of sitting at home.
"If I had the opportunity, I would have attended the World Social Forum for the full five days. But I had other priorities. How can I just sit at Kasarani or Uhuru Park [the venues of the forum] the whole day when I do not have food? Today I am free, that is why I am here.
"I am glad people were sharing ideas at the forum to help uplift each other not to lose hope but to stay determined.
"However, if the forum is just a matter of people talking, just for the sake of gathering, then it will be of no use.
"What has been discussed should be formulated into policies that have tangible results that an ordinary mwananchi [citizen] can appreciate."
Reproduced with the kind permission of IRIN
Copyright IRIN 2006
Photo: Copyright IRIN
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies
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