Violence and security in Nairobi's slums

Structural violence is a mainstay of social life for many inhabitants in Nairobi’s slums, where poverty, combined with the need to make a living, force many people to choose a criminal career. In this blog post for Plural Security Insights, Peter Albrecht explores the permanent livelihood insecurity and lack of opportunity that many people face, primarily in one of Nairobi’s oldest slums, Mathare.

What the inhabitants of Nairobi’s slums are left with is a fundamental reliance on personalized or localized security arrangements against both internal and external threats. This does not mean that the provision of security is disorganized, but it does mean that multiple actors simultaneously assert claims on the use of force, and often does so in a violent manner.

The blog post is based on research conducted in Nairobi during March 2016 as part of the Plural Security Insights project. It draws on data collected during fieldwork for the report: Hustling for Security: managing plural security in Nairobi’s poor urban settlements.