NAIROBI - June 12 - Amnesty International said today that successive governments have failed to address the overcrowded, squalid slum conditions of Nairobi and as a result, the slum population has swelled to nearly half of the city's residents. In the first report of its new "Demand Dignity" global campaign on poverty and in meetings with Prime Minister Raila Odinga, the human rights organization outlined abuses that deprive slum dwellers of basic needs and turn them into "prisoners of poverty."

"Exploited by landlords, threatened by police, extorted by gangs: the slums of Nairobi are a human rights black hole where the residents are deprived of basic services, denied security and excluded from having a say in their future," said Irene Khan, Amnesty International's secretary general, who met with residents and activists in Nairobi's so-called "informal settlements" as well as with top government officials to urge action on the slums.

The report, The Unseen Majority: Nairobi's Two Million Slum Dwellers, found two million people crammed into makeshift settlements that occupy only 5 per cent of the city's residential area and just 1 percent of all land in the city.

Khan met residents and activists in the Soweto (Kibera) and Korogocho settlements and launched a free SMS number to allow Kenya's slum dwellers to demand adequate housing.

The report includes testimonies from slum dwellers including a woman who described how she had been made homeless twice, first by a forced eviction and second when her home was set on fire while she and other relatives were sleeping inside. Another woman described how her children were unable to go to primary school after they were forcibly evicted because their school uniforms and books had been destroyed when their home was bulldozed.

In addition to discussions about poverty and slums, Khan, in her meetings with top Kenyan officials, called for government accountability for human rights violations committed during the post-election violence of 2007-2008.

"This Coalition Government has a chance--if it is willing to take it--to prove that power-sharing is not just a matter of politics but a real opportunity to bring about change for the benefit of the Kenyan people," said Khan. "Political leaders across the board must rise above partisan and vested political interests to ensure that respect for human rights and accountability for past human rights violations is a central part of all government policy and strategy."

In the report, slum dwellers describe a life characterized by deprivation, rising food prices, a lack of health care and education, harassment by the authorities and the constant threat of being forcibly evicted. According to victims, forced evictions are often conducted at night or in bad weather conditions and excessive force is often deployed. Inadequate notice, or often no notice at all, is given and people's belongings are destroyed along with their homes.

The report identifies up to 127,000 people at immediate risk of having their makeshift homes and informal businesses demolished under a government-led plan to clean up the Nairobi River Basin.

Despite a national housing policy adopted four years ago that promised the progressive realization of the right to housing, the government has failed to provide accessible, affordable housing. The "slum upgrading" program has been too slow and with too little resources to be effective. Residents feel they have not been adequately consulted on its implementation. 

Amnesty International's report calls on the Kenyan government to:
*cease all forced evictions;
*adopt guidelines that comply with international human rights law to ensure security of tenure and protect people from arbitrary evictions; *consult adequately with affected communities;
*improve the coordination among the government entities dealing with land and housing issues.