Kounkuey Design Initiative Kenya

Kounkuey Design Initiative Kenya Kounkuey Design Initiative is a community development and design nonprofit.

We partner with under-resourced communities to advance equity and activate the unrealized potential in their neighbourhoods and cities.

30/03/2026
In 2006, Kounkuey Design Initiative began with a simple but powerful dream, that communities, especially those often ove...
30/03/2026

In 2006, Kounkuey Design Initiative began with a simple but powerful dream, that communities, especially those often overlooked and underinvested in, could shape the future of their own neighborhoods. ๐ŸŒ

Twenty years later, that dream has become realityโ€”real places, real partnerships, and real impact. โœจ

This year, we celebrate:

๐ŸŽ‰ ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ ๐ฒ๐ž๐š๐ซ๐ฌ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐›๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐›๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐š๐ซ๐ข๐ž๐ฌ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐๐ž๐ฌ๐ข๐ ๐ง ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐จ๐œ๐ข๐š๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐œ๐ž
๐ŸŽ‰ ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ ๐ฒ๐ž๐š๐ซ๐ฌ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ฌ๐ก๐š๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐๐ž๐œ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง-๐ฆ๐š๐ค๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฐ๐ž๐ซ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ
๐ŸŽ‰ ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ ๐ฒ๐ž๐š๐ซ๐ฌ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ง๐ž๐ญ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ค๐ž๐ ๐œ๐ก๐š๐ง๐ ๐ž, ๐›๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐ญ ๐›๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ฒ๐ข๐ง๐ , ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ž๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ , ๐š๐ง๐ ๐š๐๐š๐ฉ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ 

Through it all, our work continues to demonstrate a simple but powerful truth: community-led change is not only possible, but essential to building cities that work for everyone. ๐Ÿ™๏ธ

As we mark this anniversary, we look back with gratitude and forward with intention. This milestone belongs to the residents who have shaped the work, to the partners who have walked alongside us, and to the KDI teams and boards, past and present, who have brought their dedication, creativity, and care into all that we do. โค๏ธ

๐“๐ฐ๐จ ๐๐ž๐œ๐š๐๐ž๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง. ๐“๐ก๐ž ๐๐ซ๐ž๐š๐ฆ ๐œ๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ฎ๐ž๐ฌ. ๐Ÿš€
Prisca Okila Arthur Adeya Sabrina Ohler Pascal Kipkemboi Ojal Kez Kezia Akiba Mashinani Trust Slum Dwellers International - SDI. Weather Mtaani Ondivow Photography PLC Awuor Nyamiseda Annelyn Joseph Wahome Joe Muturi AFD - Agence Franรงaise de Dรฉveloppement Covenant of Mayors in Sub-Saharan Africa Architectural Association of Kenya

12/03/2026

๐Š๐€๐€ ๐‘๐€๐ƒ๐€ ๐๐€ ๐–๐„๐€๐“๐‡๐„๐‘ ๐ŸŒง๏ธ

After the ๐ก๐ž๐š๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ซ๐š๐ข๐ง๐ฌ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐Ÿ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ฅ๐š๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ž๐ž๐ค ๐ญ๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐œ๐š๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐ฆ๐š๐ง๐ฒ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐จ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ ๐ ๐ฎ๐š๐ซ๐, the rains are likely to continue. Hii weather inaweza change haraka, so itโ€™s important we stay informed and alert and take early action to keep our families and neighbours safe.

In many of Nairobiโ€™s neighborhoods, ๐ž๐ฑ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ž๐ ๐ž๐ฅ๐ž๐œ๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐œ๐š๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ ๐›๐ž๐œ๐จ๐ฆ๐ž ๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐š๐ง๐ ๐ž๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ.. Wires on the ground, on walls, or touching water can cause electrocution or even fires.

๐“๐ฎ๐š๐ง๐ ๐š๐ฅ๐ข๐ž ๐ก๐ข๐ณ๐ข ๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐š๐ฉ๐ž๐ฆ๐š:

Check around your house or plot for ๐ž๐ฑ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ž๐ ๐ž๐ฅ๐ž๐œ๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐œ๐š๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ
If possible, ๐œ๐จ๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ž๐ง ๐ฐ๐ข๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ using safe materials
๐Š๐ž๐ž๐ฉ ๐ฐ๐š๐ญ๐จ๐ญ๐จ ๐š๐ฐ๐š๐ฒ from areas where wires and water zinakutana
๐”๐ฌ๐ข๐ ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ž ๐ฐ๐ข๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ, especially wakati mvua imenyesha

Small actions zinaweza ๐ฌ๐š๐ฏ๐ž ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž๐ฌ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ง๐ญ ๐Ÿ๐ข๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ.

Letโ€™s also ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ค ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ž๐š๐œ๐ก ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ซ โ€” ongea na majirani wako, warn people if you see exposed wires, and help each other stay safe.

๐๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐ž๐œ๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐Ÿ๐š๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฒ. ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐ž๐œ๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ง๐ž๐ข๐ ๐ก๐›๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ.

๐Š๐€๐€ ๐‘๐€๐ƒ๐€ ๐๐€ ๐–๐„๐€๐“๐‡๐„๐‘ โ€” ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฐ๐š๐œ๐ก๐ž ๐ฐ๐ž๐š๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ซ ๐ข๐ค๐ฎ๐ฉ๐š๐ญ๐ž ๐ค๐š๐ฆ๐š ๐ก๐š๐ฎ๐ค๐จ ๐‘๐š๐๐š. . ๐’๐ญ๐š๐ฒ ๐š๐ฅ๐ž๐ซ๐ญ, ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐š๐Ÿ๐ž!

This awareness video has been produced by Ondivow Photography PLC in 2020 under the DARAJA project, implemented in Kenya by Kounkuey Design Initiative (KDI) in collaboration with Kenya Meteorological Department .

Weather Mtaani Prisca Okila Sabrina Ohler Pascal Kipkemboi Awuor Nyamiseda Annelyn Ojal Kez Kezia Akiba Mashinani Trust Slum Dwellers International - SDI. Muungano wa Wanavijiji Arthur Adeya Dream Achievers Youth Organization Kenya

๐ŸŒฟ #๐๐ฅ๐š๐œ๐ž๐ฆ๐š๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ˆ๐ง๐€๐œ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง: ๐…๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐„๐ฆ๐›๐ฎ ๐ก๐š๐๐ข ๐๐š๐ข๐ซ๐จ๐›๐ข! ๐ŸŒLast week in Embu County, the Dallas community, alongside KDI, Embu Co...
04/11/2025

๐ŸŒฟ #๐๐ฅ๐š๐œ๐ž๐ฆ๐š๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ˆ๐ง๐€๐œ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง: ๐…๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐„๐ฆ๐›๐ฎ ๐ก๐š๐๐ข ๐๐š๐ข๐ซ๐จ๐›๐ข! ๐ŸŒ

Last week in Embu County, the Dallas community, alongside KDI, Embu County officials, and local partners, came together to celebrate Placemaking Week. The event was a vibrant showcase of community spirit, filled with activities that reconnected people with nature and their wetland. The wetland came alive with colour, conversation, and connection as residents, County officers, and visitors worked side by side to reimagine how this vibrant space can serve both people and nature. ๐Ÿ’ง๐ŸŒฑ

โœจ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐žโ€™๐ซ๐ž ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ž ๐ฒ๐ž๐ญโ€ฆ ๐›๐š๐๐จ ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ค๐จ ๐ง๐๐š๐ง๐ข!

Weโ€™re bringing the same energy back to Nairobi as we extend Urban October into November, and continue to celebrate the power of community, creativity, and collaboration in our neighborhoods.

๐Ÿ“ ๐Š๐š๐ก๐š๐ฐ๐š ๐’๐จ๐ฐ๐ž๐ญ๐จ (๐”๐ง๐๐ž๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐”๐…๐ˆ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฃ๐ž๐œ๐ญ) โ€“ 5๐‘กโ„Ž & 6๐‘กโ„Ž ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘š๐‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ
As part of the Urban Fabric Initiative (UFI), this weekโ€™s placemaking focuses on activating the Kahawa Soweto UFI projects โ€” transforming community spaces through a movie screening, clean-up, and mini medical camp. Kuja tucheki hizi activations and be part of celebrating community-led design in action. As you take part in the placemaking, remember to support local biashara within the space โ€” helping strengthen both the social and economic fabric of Kahawa Soweto. ๐ŸŒฟ๐ŸŽฌ๐Ÿ’ช

๐Ÿ“ Mukuru Kwa Reuben (Under the Nature-Based Solutions Project) โ€“ 13๐‘กโ„Ž ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘š๐‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ

This weekโ€™s placemaking in Mukuru focuses on activating the street as a shared public space, with potted plants, fresh paint, gravel surfacing, and small repairs led by the community. Alongside these improvements, weโ€™re amplifying conversations on Rivers and Rights, highlighting the vital role of urban waterways. These actions form part of the Rivers and Peoplesโ€™ Plan, showcasing community stewardship, environmental care, and urban resilience. ๐Ÿ’ง
These community-led events bring together residents, partners, and local leaders to test ideas, showcase practical actions, and connect people working toward one shared goal: building inclusive, adaptive, and resilient neighborhoods. ๐Ÿ’ฌ

Be part of the journey. Be part of the stories. Be part of the transformation.

๐‘ด๐’•๐’‚๐’‚ ๐’˜๐’†๐’•๐’–, ๐’‹๐’–๐’Œ๐’–๐’Ž๐’– ๐’๐’†๐’•๐’–.


Akiba Mashinani Trust Kenya Informal Settlements Improvement Project - KISIP Pascal Kipkemboi Nairobi City County Government

๐ŸŒฟ ๐–๐š๐ฌ๐ž๐ž, ๐ฅ๐ž๐จ ๐ง๐ข ๐ข๐ฅ๐ž ๐ฌ๐ข๐ค๐ฎ! ๐ŸŒฟ๐๐ฅ๐š๐œ๐ž๐ฆ๐š๐ค๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ƒ๐š๐ฒ โ€“ ๐ƒ๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ๐š๐ฌ ๐’๐ž๐ญ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ž๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ ๐„๐๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง, ๐„๐ฆ๐›๐ฎ! ๐ŸŽ‰Hey Embu fam! The wait is over , todayโ€™s...
30/10/2025

๐ŸŒฟ ๐–๐š๐ฌ๐ž๐ž, ๐ฅ๐ž๐จ ๐ง๐ข ๐ข๐ฅ๐ž ๐ฌ๐ข๐ค๐ฎ! ๐ŸŒฟ

๐๐ฅ๐š๐œ๐ž๐ฆ๐š๐ค๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ƒ๐š๐ฒ โ€“ ๐ƒ๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ๐š๐ฌ ๐’๐ž๐ญ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ž๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ ๐„๐๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง, ๐„๐ฆ๐›๐ฎ! ๐ŸŽ‰

Hey Embu fam! The wait is over , todayโ€™s the day! ๐Ÿ’š

Weโ€™re live in Dallas Settlement for the ASILI Placemaking Day , a full-day community vibe bringing together residents, partners, and dreamers shaping a greener, safer, and more vibrant Dallas! ๐ŸŒž

๐Ÿ•บ๐Ÿพ Bring your dancing shoes, your storytelling spirit, and your bright ideas on how to make Dallas thrive. ๐Ÿ’ฌ
Because this is your city, this is your story, and together weโ€™re making it one to remember! ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿพ

๐ŸŽจ Weโ€™ve got painting, games, music, storytelling, laughter , and of course, that unbeatable Dallas energy!
๐ŸŒฑ Letโ€™s co-create, connect, and celebrate the future of our community ,from the wetlands to the walkways.

โœ… Ground check: Done!
โœ… Community: Ready!
โœ… Vibes: 100%!

๐Ÿ“ Dallas Settlement, Embu
๐Ÿ•˜ 9:00 AM โ€“ 4:00 PM
โ˜• Light refreshments on deck

Letโ€™s make Dallas great, together! ๐Ÿ’ฅ

Embu Water and Sanitation Company Limited Department of Youth, Gender, Sports & Culture - Embu County SwedBio Covenant of Mayors in Sub-Saharan Africa People Powered Utrecht University Hon. Cecily Mbarire, EGH EMBU TV NETWORK(ETN) UNIVERSITY OF EMBU COMRADES ARENA Embu County Government Pascal Kipkemboi

๐ŸŒฟ ๐–๐š๐ฌ๐ž๐ž ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ค๐จ ๐ง๐š ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ง ๐Ÿ‘๐ŸŽ๐ญ๐ก ๐Ž๐œ๐ญ๐จ๐›๐ž๐ซ ๐ข๐ง ๐„๐ฆ๐›๐ฎ! ๐ŸŒฟ
๐๐ฅ๐š๐œ๐ž๐ฆ๐š๐ค๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ƒ๐š๐ฒ โ€“ ๐ƒ๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ๐š๐ฌ ๐’๐ž๐ญ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ž๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ ๐„๐๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ŸŽ‰

Hey fam! Youโ€™re officially invited to the ๐„๐ฆ๐›๐ฎ ๐€๐’๐ˆ๐‹๐ˆ ๐๐ฅ๐š๐œ๐ž๐ฆ๐š๐ค๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ƒ๐š๐ฒโ€” a full-day community vibe going down on ๐“๐ก๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐š๐ฒ, ๐Ÿ‘๐ŸŽ๐ญ๐ก ๐Ž๐œ๐ญ๐จ๐›๐ž๐ซ ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ“ ๐ข๐ง ๐ƒ๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ๐š๐ฌ, ๐„๐ฆ๐›๐ฎ.

Weโ€™re teaming up with Citizen Futurists, KDI, and the County, building on the dope ideas from the Green Infrastructure Plan and the recent ASILI Futures Workshops. Itโ€™s all about turning our shared spaces into something beautiful, together ๐Ÿ’š

๐Ÿ›  ๐–๐ก๐š๐ญโ€™๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฏ๐ข๐›๐ž?
๐ŸŽจ Painting walls
โšฝ Sports & games
๐Ÿ“– Storytelling
๐ŸŒฑ Dreaming up the future of Dallas & the wetlands
๐ŸŽถ Music, laughter, and good energy all day!

๐Ÿ“ ๐‹๐จ๐œ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง: Dallas Settlement, Embu
๐Ÿ•˜ ๐“๐ข๐ฆ๐ž: 9:00 AM โ€“ 4:00 PM

โ˜• Bonus: Light refreshments on deck!

๐Ÿš— ๐๐จ๐ญ๐ž: ๐‘‡๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘ ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘ก & ๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘‘๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ก ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘‘.
๐Ÿ“ž Got questions or wanna join? Hit up Brenda at +254 796 941 671

Letโ€™s co-create, connect, and celebrate our community.
Usikose! ๐Ÿ’ฅ



Embu County Government Department of Youth, Gender, Sports & Culture - Embu County Embu Water and Sanitation Company Limited Hon. Cecily Mbarire, EGH SwedBio UNIVERSITY OF EMBU COMRADES ARENA People Powered , Covenant of Mayors in Sub-Saharan Africa Pascal Kipkemboi Embu people Utrecht University

๐Ÿ”— Follow on X and on FB for updates and stories from the ground.

๐ŸŒฟ ๐–๐š๐ฌ๐ž๐ž ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ค๐จ ๐ง๐š ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ง ๐Ÿ‘๐ŸŽ๐ญ๐ก ๐Ž๐œ๐ญ๐จ๐›๐ž๐ซ ๐ข๐ง ๐„๐ฆ๐›๐ฎ! ๐ŸŒฟ๐๐ฅ๐š๐œ๐ž๐ฆ๐š๐ค๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ƒ๐š๐ฒ โ€“ ๐ƒ๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ๐š๐ฌ ๐’๐ž๐ญ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ž๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ ๐„๐๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ŸŽ‰Hey fam! Youโ€™re officially i...
22/10/2025

๐ŸŒฟ ๐–๐š๐ฌ๐ž๐ž ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ค๐จ ๐ง๐š ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ง ๐Ÿ‘๐ŸŽ๐ญ๐ก ๐Ž๐œ๐ญ๐จ๐›๐ž๐ซ ๐ข๐ง ๐„๐ฆ๐›๐ฎ! ๐ŸŒฟ
๐๐ฅ๐š๐œ๐ž๐ฆ๐š๐ค๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ƒ๐š๐ฒ โ€“ ๐ƒ๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ๐š๐ฌ ๐’๐ž๐ญ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ž๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ ๐„๐๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ŸŽ‰

Hey fam! Youโ€™re officially invited to the ๐„๐ฆ๐›๐ฎ ๐€๐’๐ˆ๐‹๐ˆ ๐๐ฅ๐š๐œ๐ž๐ฆ๐š๐ค๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ƒ๐š๐ฒโ€” a full-day community vibe going down on ๐“๐ก๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐š๐ฒ, ๐Ÿ‘๐ŸŽ๐ญ๐ก ๐Ž๐œ๐ญ๐จ๐›๐ž๐ซ ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ“ ๐ข๐ง ๐ƒ๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ๐š๐ฌ, ๐„๐ฆ๐›๐ฎ.

Weโ€™re teaming up with Citizen Futurists, KDI, and the County, building on the dope ideas from the Green Infrastructure Plan and the recent ASILI Futures Workshops. Itโ€™s all about turning our shared spaces into something beautiful, together ๐Ÿ’š

๐Ÿ›  ๐–๐ก๐š๐ญโ€™๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฏ๐ข๐›๐ž?
๐ŸŽจ Painting walls
โšฝ Sports & games
๐Ÿ“– Storytelling
๐ŸŒฑ Dreaming up the future of Dallas & the wetlands
๐ŸŽถ Music, laughter, and good energy all day!

๐Ÿ“ ๐‹๐จ๐œ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง: Dallas Settlement, Embu
๐Ÿ•˜ ๐“๐ข๐ฆ๐ž: 9:00 AM โ€“ 4:00 PM

โ˜• Bonus: Light refreshments on deck!

๐Ÿš— ๐๐จ๐ญ๐ž: ๐‘‡๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘ ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘ก & ๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘‘๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ก ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘‘.
๐Ÿ“ž Got questions or wanna join? Hit up Brenda at +254 796 941 671

Letโ€™s co-create, connect, and celebrate our community.
Usikose! ๐Ÿ’ฅ



Embu County Government Department of Youth, Gender, Sports & Culture - Embu County Embu Water and Sanitation Company Limited Hon. Cecily Mbarire, EGH SwedBio UNIVERSITY OF EMBU COMRADES ARENA People Powered , Covenant of Mayors in Sub-Saharan Africa Pascal Kipkemboi Embu people Utrecht University

๐Ÿ”— Follow on X and on FB for updates and stories from the ground.

29/09/2025
๐Ÿš€ ๐”๐ซ๐›๐š๐ง ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐š๐œ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ž๐ฌ๐งโ€™๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ก๐š๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ž๐ง : ๐ข๐ญโ€™๐ฌ ๐›๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐ญ. ๐๐ซ๐ข๐œ๐ค ๐›๐ฒ ๐›๐ซ๐ข๐œ๐ค. ๐•๐จ๐ข๐œ๐ž ๐›๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐จ๐ข๐œ๐ž. ๐“๐จ๐ ๐ž๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ซ.Yesterday, we launched the ๐”๐ซ๐›...
05/09/2025

๐Ÿš€ ๐”๐ซ๐›๐š๐ง ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐š๐œ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ž๐ฌ๐งโ€™๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ก๐š๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ž๐ง : ๐ข๐ญโ€™๐ฌ ๐›๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐ญ. ๐๐ซ๐ข๐œ๐ค ๐›๐ฒ ๐›๐ซ๐ข๐œ๐ค. ๐•๐จ๐ข๐œ๐ž ๐›๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐จ๐ข๐œ๐ž. ๐“๐จ๐ ๐ž๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ซ.

Yesterday, we launched the ๐”๐ซ๐›๐š๐ง ๐…๐š๐›๐ซ๐ข๐œ ๐ˆ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐š๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž (๐”๐…๐ˆ) at Kahawa Soweto Settlement and, it wasnโ€™t just a milestone. It was a bold reminder of whatโ€™s possible when communities, governments, and partners unite around a shared vision.

๐Ÿ“Š ๐‡๐ž๐ซ๐žโ€™๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐œ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ž๐œ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐š๐œ๐ญ ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ค๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ž:
๐Ÿ•’ 12,000+ hours of community-led planning, design & collaboration
๐Ÿ— 3 new public spaces | 13 new businesses boosting local livelihoods
๐Ÿ“œ A first-of-its-kind Service Level Agreement โ€” publicly owned, locally managed
๐Ÿ‘ฅ 15,000+ people set to benefit every year
๐ŸŒง Nature-based drainage, solar lighting & sustainable infrastructure

๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐›๐ž๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ง๐ฎ๐ฆ๐›๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ž๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ซ๐ž๐š๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ:
โœจ Residents who gave their time, ideas, and sweat
โœจ Partners who chose co-creation over quick fixes
โœจ Governments investing in inclusive, lasting change

๐Ÿ’ก Impact like this isnโ€™t accidental , itโ€™s intentional. Itโ€™s collective.
It happens when every stakeholder shows up, contributes, and commits to the long game, driving sustainability, stewardship, and lasting change.

๐Ÿ“Œ Check out the poster for the full story behind the stats.
Because behind every number is a lived experience, a bold idea, and a shared journey.
Akiba Mashinani Trust AFD - Agence Franรงaise de Dรฉveloppement Arthur Adeya Slum Dwellers International - SDI. Tom Michira Nyakaba Nairobi City County Government Kenya Informal Settlements Improvement Project - KISIP Sakaja Johnson French Embassy in Kenya and Somalia Muungano wa Wanavijiji

This is how is reshaping Nairobiโ€™s informal settlements:
One space. One voice. One partnership at a time.

๐ŸŽ‰ ๐๐ข๐  ๐๐ž๐ฐ๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐š๐ข๐ซ๐จ๐›๐ข!Today, we celebrate the official launch of the Urban Fabric Initiative (UFI) at Kahawa Soweto Set...
04/09/2025

๐ŸŽ‰ ๐๐ข๐  ๐๐ž๐ฐ๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐š๐ข๐ซ๐จ๐›๐ข!

Today, we celebrate the official launch of the Urban Fabric Initiative (UFI) at Kahawa Soweto Settlement, a momentous milestone in community-led urban transformation!

Over the past three years, UFI has reimagined public spaces in Nairobiโ€™s informal settlements through co-design, construction, and governance led by the community itself. From Kahawa Soweto to Kayole Soweto and City Carton, over 37,000 residents now enjoy safer, cleaner, and more vibrant neighborhoods.

๐Ÿž๏ธ ๐’๐š๐Ÿ๐ž ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง๐œ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐š๐ฒ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ฌ
๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿฝโ€โ™€๏ธ ๐”๐ฉ๐ ๐ซ๐š๐๐ž๐ ๐ฐ๐š๐ฅ๐ค๐ฐ๐š๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ž๐ง ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐š๐œ๐ž๐ฌ
๐Ÿšฝ ๐Œ๐จ๐๐ž๐ซ๐ง ๐ฌ๐š๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐Ÿ๐š๐œ๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ž๐ฌ
๐Ÿ’ง ๐ˆ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฏ๐ž๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐š๐ญ๐ž๐ซ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ๐ก๐ฐ๐š๐ญ๐ž๐ซ ๐ข๐ง๐Ÿ๐ซ๐š๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐œ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ž
๐Ÿค ๐’๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ž๐ซ ๐ฅ๐จ๐œ๐š๐ฅ ๐ ๐จ๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐ง๐š๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐š๐ง๐ ๐œ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ฐ๐ง๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ

Led by Kounkuey Design Initiative (KDI) in partnership with Slum Dwellers International - SDI., Akiba Mashinani Trust, Nairobi City County Government , and Kenya Informal Settlements Improvement Project - KISIP , and supported by AFD - Agence Franรงaise de Dรฉveloppement (AFD), UFI is the first of its kind in Kenya, setting a new standard for informal settlement upgrading.

This isnโ€™t just about infrastructure, itโ€™s about equity, trust, and opportunity. UFI has empowered over 1,500 residents, trained a dozen community-based organizations, and built a replicable model thatโ€™s already influencing national policy.

๐Ÿ“ธ Stay tuned for live updates from the inauguration, and join us in celebrating how Nairobi is stitching a stronger, fairer city, one space at a time ๐Ÿงต๐Ÿ™๏ธ

Tom Michira Nyakaba Sakaja Johnson Arthur Adeya State Department of Housing and Urban Development - Kenya French Embassy in Kenya and Somalia Citizen TV Kenya KTN Home TV 47 Kenya The Star, Kenya

๐ŸŒ ๐‚๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ž๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐–๐จ๐ซ๐ฅ๐ ๐‡๐ฎ๐ฆ๐š๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐š๐ซ๐ข๐š๐ง ๐ƒ๐š๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐‘๐š๐๐ข๐จ ๐Œ๐š๐ซ๐ข๐šhashtag , marked each August, reminds us to honor the courage of ...
01/09/2025

๐ŸŒ ๐‚๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ž๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐–๐จ๐ซ๐ฅ๐ ๐‡๐ฎ๐ฆ๐š๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐š๐ซ๐ข๐š๐ง ๐ƒ๐š๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐‘๐š๐๐ข๐จ ๐Œ๐š๐ซ๐ข๐š

hashtag , marked each August, reminds us to honor the courage of those who stand on the frontlines of crises and to reflect on the resilience of communities everywhere.

At KDI, we see this resilience every day in Nairobiโ€™s informal settlements, where communities continue to organize, adapt, and advocate for safer, more inclusive spaces.

This month, we carry the conversation forward on Radio Maria with:
๐ŸŽ™๏ธ Regina Opondo, Senior Community Principal at KDI Kenya
๐Ÿ“ป โ€œ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ข๐ง๐  ๐‘๐ž๐ฌ๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ž๐ง๐œ๐ž, ๐„๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฐ๐ž๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐‚๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ž๐ฌ: ๐‹๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐…๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ž๐ฌโ€

Drawing from the ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ˆ๐ง๐Ÿ๐ซ๐š๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐œ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐‚๐ฅ๐ข๐ฆ๐š๐ญ๐ž ๐‘๐ž๐ฉ๐š๐ข๐ซ (๐๐ˆ๐‚๐‘) ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฃ๐ž๐œ๐ญ, (https://lnkd.in/dJqAt9ex)
Regina will share reflections on how infrastructure development, climate risks, and urban justice converge in our city , and what this means for communities working tirelessly to shape a just public realm.

โœจ To commemorate World Humanitarian Day is not only to look back. It is to listen, to learn, and to amplify the voices of communities building resilience in the face of everyday challenges.

๐Ÿ‘‰ Tune in to Radio Maria and join us in honoring and amplifying these voices. https://radio.or.ke/maria/ Arthur Adeya Slum Dwellers International - SDI. AFD - Agence Franรงaise de Dรฉveloppement Akiba Mashinani Trust SwedBio Karachi Urban Lab

Listen to Radio Maria via radio.or.ke. With a simple click you can listen to the best live radio stations from Kenya.

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