About Opentopia
Opentopia Directory Encyclopedia Tools

Kibera

Encyclopedia : K : KI : KIB : Kibera

Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya is one of the largest slums in Africa with a population of approximately 800,000 people. The name "Kibera" is derived from kibra, a Nubian word meaning "forest" or "jungle" [link].

The slum originated in 1920 as a Nubian soldiers' settlement. The British controlled government of the time allowed them to squat on a hillside outside Nairobi. Over time, other tribes moved in, renting land from the Nubian landlords. Due to this, Kibera has been the site of small ethnic conflicts throughout its nearly 100 year history.

Kibera is located southwest of Nairobi city centre and is approximately 2.5 square kilometres (600 acres) in size. Nairobi Dam is to the south. It is sited approximately 5 km south east of the city centre of Nairobi. It holds more than a quarter of Nairobi's population. The estimated population density is 300,000/km² [link]. There are a number of villages, including Kianda, Soweto, Gatwekera, Kisumu Ndogo, Lindi, Laini Saba, Siranga/Undugu, Makina and Mashimoni [link].

Kibera is home to the popular Olympic Primary School, one of the leading government schools in the country.

Kibera is featured in Fernando Meirelles's film The Constant Gardener, which is based on the book of the same name by John Le Carré and is also mentioned in the music video World On Fire by Sarah McLachlan.

References

External links

Search Titles
0123456789
ABCDEFGHIJ
KLMNOPQRST
UVWXYZ?

E-mail this article to:

Personal Message: