SIDAREC's Mukuru Kwa Njenga Community Center Site

Young users of SIDAREC's Mukuru Community Center eager to meet the design team that will be transforming their existing center into an exciting hub in the middle of Nairobi's newest slum.

Vendors along the street in front of SIDAREC's site.

A view from across the street to the front of the site. The radio station tower will be just to the right of the umbrellas.


The existing site has a small, but largely underused, clinic at the rear of the property. It was staffed with a full-time doctor for two years, but due to a funding shortage, now there is only a social worker and a part-time nurse staffing this clinic.

A little boy looking suave at the corner of the clinic.

Ashley drawing the floor plan of the existing clinic. Our design concept proposed keeping the existing clinic rather than demolishing it and replacing it with a new building. It is the nicest and most permanent building on the current site. SIDAREC would like to add one additional room for a small family planning classroom.

Members of the community center playing real "football." This patch of hard packed earth is one the very few open spaces for children to play in the densely populated community of Mukuru.

Going head to head, or foot to foot as the case may be.

A large temporary, cum permanent, meeting hall made of corrugated "iron sheets," as the locals say. During the day is contains three preschool classes in the corners of the building, and serves as a meeting space for up to 200-250 community members during the evenings. As you might imagine, it gets extremely hot inside with the equatorial sun beating down on the metal roof.

A view of the site looking from the existing entry gate. The metal meeting hall is to the left and the existing temporary offices and bakery are on the right.

Temporary offices located along the existing high wall defining the north side of the site.