Does Tenure Security Reduce Disaster Risk? A Comparative Study of the Nairobi Settlements of Kibera and Kawangware

Rónán McDermott; Pat Gibbons; Dalmas Ochieng; Charles Owuor Olungah; Desire Mpanje

doi:10.1007/s13753-021-00346-6

Volume 12 Issue 4

Dec. 2021

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Rónán McDermott, Pat Gibbons, Dalmas Ochieng, Charles Owuor Olungah, Desire Mpanje. Does Tenure Security Reduce Disaster Risk? A Comparative Study of the Nairobi Settlements of Kibera and Kawangware[J]. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 2021, 12(4): 445-457. doi: 10.1007/s13753-021-00346-6

Citation:

Rónán McDermott, Pat Gibbons, Dalmas Ochieng, Charles Owuor Olungah, Desire Mpanje. Does Tenure Security Reduce Disaster Risk? A Comparative Study of the Nairobi Settlements of Kibera and Kawangware[J]. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 2021, 12(4): 445-457. doi: 10.1007/s13753-021-00346-6

Citation:

Rónán McDermott, Pat Gibbons, Dalmas Ochieng, Charles Owuor Olungah, Desire Mpanje. Does Tenure Security Reduce Disaster Risk? A Comparative Study of the Nairobi Settlements of Kibera and Kawangware[J]. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 2021, 12(4): 445-457. doi: 10.1007/s13753-021-00346-6

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Does Tenure Security Reduce Disaster Risk? A Comparative Study of the Nairobi Settlements of Kibera and Kawangware

doi: 10.1007/s13753-021-00346-6

1. Centre for Humanitarian Action, University College Dublin, Dublin, D04 V1W8, Ireland;
2. Institute for Anthropology, Gender and African Studies, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, 30197, Kenya

Funds:

The authors would like to thank the study participants. This article has been written as part of the Preparedness and Resilience to address Urban Vulnerabilities (PRUV) project (http://pruv.ucd.ie). The project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement no. 691060. We would also like to acknowledge the input of community mobilizers in both localities. Research assistance was provided by Brenda Nanjala Mukungu, Ronnie Okoth Midigo, Balentine Ochieng Oingo, Mercy Mbithe Musyoka, Joan Khakali Kadamu, and Paul Opondo Omondi. Concern Worldwide, a member of the PRUV consortium, provided the survey data. The paper benefitted from the input of anonymous reviewers.

Available Online: 2021-12-25
Publish Date: 2021-12-25

Abstract

Abstract

While scholarship suggests that improving tenure security and housing significantly reduces disaster risk at the household level within urban settings, this assertion has not been adequately tested. Tenure security can be conceived as being composed of three interrelated and overlapping forms: tenure security as determined by legal systems; de facto tenure security; and tenure security as perceived by residents. This article traces the relationship between tenure security, the quality of housing, and disaster risk on the basis of a mixed methods comparative case study of the settlements of Kawangware and Kibera in Nairobi. Although the findings suggest that owner-occupancy is associated with the structural integrity of dwellings to a greater extent than tenantship, no association was found between the length of occupancy by households and the structural integrity of the dwelling. Moreover, tenantship is not found to be closely associated with fires and flooding affecting the dwelling as extant scholarship would suggest. Formal ownership is linked with greater investment and upgrading of property with significant implications for disaster risk. Our findings highlight the complex relationship between tenure security and disaster risk in urban informal settlements and provide impetus for further investigation.
- Disaster risk,
- Fire and flood risk,
- Tenure security,
- Urban hazards,
- Urban informal settlements

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References(55)

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