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The history of Mji wa Huruma village

Mji wa Huruma is one of the poorest slums in Nairobi. It is situated in the thick of Karura Forest and borders Runda estate. Its main access is through Nairobi-Kiambu road or Nairobi-Limuru road.

The village measures approximately 500 square meters and is home to about 1500 inhabitants. The plot on which the village stands belongs to the government.

The name Mji wa Huruma means home of mercy. This is because the village neighbours a home for the aged people which is run and managed by the Salvation Army church. The home though was originally meant to be a rehabilitation center for street children.

The people living at Mji wa Huruma originally came from the present Runda; then called Cheleta. Cheleta was the European who owned the entire Runda estate which was then occupied by coffee plantations. This dates back to colonial days.

Most of the people living there and their great-grand-parents worked there as casual labourers and were housed within the plantations.

Late in 1978 the people living at Cheleta were facing imminent eviction. This was as a result of change of ownership of the farms from the colonialists to indigenous Kenyans. As the land changed hands in terms of ownership the plight of the people living and working there was ignored.

The people who were facing eviction decided to file the case in court, trying to stop the eviction. The case was however not given fair hearing and was hurriedly decided in favour of the owners of the farm. It was decided that those people be given an alternative site to settle. A site was found, but unfortunately illegally grabbed by those handling the case in court. One of them was an advocate and the area counselor. Finally the people settled at the current site which is a government plot. The village has been there since 1979.

The new owners subdivided the land into plots and sold these to individuals who built private living quarters. Runda is now one of the most posh living areas.

Dieser Podcast besteht aus 18 Folgen

Folge 01
Ich bin neu in dieser Stadt - 23:05

Folge 02
Verrückt und verschreckt - 26:51

Folge 03
Solarkocher und Prügel - 23:00

Folge 04
Leben ist Münzen und Papiere - 22:28

Folge 05
Die Leute kaufen alle chinesische Fahrräder - 27:37

Folge 06
In Nairobi weiß jeder alles über jeden - 29:03

Folge 07
Die Uhr hat sowieso keinen Kompass gehabt - 28:03

Folge 08
Er hat zwanzig Minuten gebraucht um zu sterben - 18:55

Folge 09
Eigentlich hätte ich die Fliegen hören müssen - 19:43

Folge 10
Wir haben Meinungsfreiheit in Kenia - 19:43

Folge 11
An ageing man's folly - 19:03

Folge 12
Crazy people. Very bad - 18:39

Folge 13
Sprechen Sie ruhig weiter über Ökonomie - 22:32

Folge 14
Carnivore heißt Fleischfresser - 17:06

Folge 15
Aus 1000 Meter Höhe kann man keinen Elefanten sehen - 17:33

Folge 16
Auf Lamu gibt es nur ein einziges Auto - 20:55

Folge 17
Ich bin nicht Jimmys Mädchen - 22:56

Folge 18
Ein kultivierter Herr wie Sie

Über Nairobi singt man keine Lieder. Hier sind alle auf der Durchreise, auch die, die hier geboren wurden und hier sterben werden. Und auch der Dichter aus der Stadt der Lieder ist hier auf der Durchreise. Eigentlich soll er hier Vorträge über kreatives Schreiben halten. Doch es verschlägt den Neugierigen in die Slums und er beginnt mit Jugendlichen eine Homepage aufzubauen, auf der sie über ihr Leben berichten können. "Mji wa Mahaba, the first Slum on the Internet".
Er verliebt sich dumm, schläft mit den falschen Frauen, stolpert über eine Leiche und in einen Korruptionsfall. Doch das Buch, das er schreiben wird, wird kein Kriminalroman. "Einfach nur so ein Buch. Ein Buch über einen, der immer das Gefühl hat, dass er als einziger nicht weiß, was gespielt wird".
Ein witziger, trauriger, poetischer Roman über das Verhältnis von Nord und Süd, Schwarz und Weiß.

Die hier erzählte Geschichte ist fiktiv, wenn auch nicht frei erfunden. Das gilt auch für die dargestellten Personen. Ähnlichkeiten mit der Wirklichkeit lassen sich nicht vermeiden. Ein Autor benützt Ereignisse und Charaktere aus der eigenen Erfahrung, modelt sie seinen Absichten entsprechend um, dichtet hinzu, lässt weg, um eine getreuere Darstellung dessen zu erzielen, was er für die Wahrheit hält. Ähnlichkeiten mit lebenden Personen und stattgehabten Ereignissen sind insofern zufällig, als niemand persönlich gemeint ist.

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Visit Mji wa Huruma, First slum on the Internet




The history of Mji wa Huruma village Mji wa Huruma is one of the poorest slums in Nairobi. It is situated in the thick of Karura Forest and borders Runda estate. Its main access is through Nairobi-Kiambu road or Nairobi-Limuru road. The village measures approximately 500 square meters and is home to about 1500 inhabitants. The plot on which the village stands belongs to the government. The name Mji wa Huruma means home of mercy. This is because the village neighbours a home for the aged people which is run and managed by the Salvation Army church. The home though was originally meant to be a rehabilitation center for street children. The people living at Mji wa Huruma originally came from the present Runda; then called Cheleta. Cheleta was the European who owned the entire Runda estate which was then occupied by coffee plantations. This dates back to colonial days. Most of the people living there and their great-grand-parents worked there as casual labourers and were housed within the plantations. Late in 1978 the people living at Cheleta were facing imminent eviction. This was as a result of change of ownership of the farms from the colonialists to indigenous Kenyans. As the land changed hands in terms of ownership the plight of the people living and working there was ignored. The people who were facing eviction decided to file the case in court, trying to stop the eviction. The case was however not given fair hearing and was hurriedly decided in favour of the owners of the farm. It was decided that those people be given an alternative site to settle. A site was found, but unfortunately illegally grabbed by those handling the case in court. One of them was an advocate and the area counselor. Finally the people settled at the current site which is a government plot. The village has been there since 1979. The new owners subdivided the land into plots and sold these to individuals who built private living quarters. Runda is now one of the most posh living areas.

Visit Mji wa Huruma, First slum on the Internet

The history of Mji wa Huruma village