Renewing Commitment to Universal Housing in Kenya: Reflections on the Habitat Assembly

Amnesty International Calls for Renewed Commitment to Universal Housing

Amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, conflicts, economic uncertainty, and climate change, the United Nations Habitat Assembly is set to take place in Nairobi, Kenya from June 5-9, 2023. The assembly focuses on issues of sustainable urban development, with housing taking center stage as one of the biggest challenges in urban areas.

Amnesty International’s regional director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah, urged delegates to renew their commitment towards guaranteeing the right to adequate housing for all. According to Chagutah, the housing challenge is not only in the lack of physical houses in urban areas, but also in having decent affordable housing that provides access for all income brackets to safe and adequate housing.

The Housing Crisis in Africa

With the current global population living in urban areas increasing and estimated to reach 57% by 2050, governments in Sub-Saharan Africa must rethink their current strategies towards housing, especially in neglected informal settlements. The World Bank has estimated that over half of Africa’s 500 million urban population live in slums. With no option but to live in highly inadequate housing in informal settlements that often pose a risk to their health, people living in poverty are suffering the most. There is a need for governments to invest in social housing, slum upgrading, water and sanitation programs, and to undertake urban renewal programs that are environmentally sustainable, inclusive, transformative, productive and equitable.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Housing

The Covid-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the right to adequate housing, with a slowdown in progress towards realizing it due to reduced government investment in social programs. In Sub-Saharan Africa, there has been a slump in domestic and foreign spending, leading to increasing debt burdens that have compounded the situation by undermining advances towards public investment in housing.

Urgent Action Needed

To ensure the right to adequate housing for all, Amnesty International has called for the immediate implementation of time-bound strategies that provide access to adequate housing for all and leave no one behind. Governments must prioritize in situ upgrading of informal settlements to achieve this goal. Additionally, the United Nations Assembly on Habitat should urge governments to take urgent steps to ensure that housing and sanitation infrastructure in towns and cities is adequately equipped.

Editorial and Advice

On several occasions, the world has been presented with lessons on the catastrophic effects of failing to invest in housing and sanitation infrastructure for vulnerable communities. The current housing crisis is the perfect example, which can turn into a humanitarian crisis. Governments and stakeholders need to create an environment that is conducive to an inclusive and sustainable housing sector. Social housing, slum upgrading, and urban renewal programs that are environmentally sustainable, inclusive, transformative, productive and equitable can make a practical contribution in addressing the housing crisis.

The UN Assembly on Habitat should consider urgent action to ensure that the situation of housing and sanitation in urban areas is improved. Additionally, governments should invest in programs that focus on the in-situ upgrading of informal settlements and the development of adequate infrastructure. These changes will go a long way in addressing the challenges facing the people living in poverty and leaving no one behind.

In conclusion, there is a need for an all-inclusive approach that factors in the different players in the housing sector. The government should work in close collaboration with civil society organizations, local authorities, and the private sector to address the housing crisis. Everyone should recognize housing as a human right and work collaboratively towards realizing it.