Access to Basic services August 2015 The Health Status of the Urban Poor in Kenya

Evidence from the first Nairobi Cross-sectional Slum Survey (NCSS) conducted in the city by the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) in 2000 revealed that slum residents have the worst health outcomes of any group in Kenya (including rural residents). They have limited access to basic facilities such as water and sanitation, or opportunities for life such as education and employment, and that they endure the near absence of the public sector and law enforcement agencies in their daily lives. These conditions not only expose slum residents to poor health outcomes 1 but also foster social unrest and violence.

This policy paper presents findings from two rounds of NCSS carried out in 2000 and 2012 respectively to study the changes in access to basic services and the health profile of the Nairobi slum dwellers. The evidence presented here will inform programs and actions geared towards improving the lives of the urban poor, not only in Nairobi County and other urban counties.