NAME ORIGIN: It is interesting to note that the village’s name, Kawangware, means “place of the Guinea bird,” a creature used elsewhere in Africa to symbolize glory or fulfillment. The people of Kawangware today are eager and ready to demonstrate that in reshaping their village into a place of glory, national building at the local level might be symbolized for Kenya, the continent and indeed the world.
GEOGRAPHY: Kawangware is bounded on the south by Naivasha Road, on the north and west by the Nairobi River and on the east by a suburban community. There is much open land surrounding the immediate area of the village suitable for intensive agricultural development. It is an urban village, situated five miles west of the centre of Nairobi on one of the main roads leading into the city. It displays many qualities that make it similar to rural settlements elsewhere in Kenya.
POPULATION: While many residents of Kawangware own their land and homes, the village has experienced rapid growth in recent years as people from all over Kenya have moved into the city. The population is approximately 10,000 people. This rapid growth has radically shifted the economic and social character of the village as all the urban problems associated with a relatively poor transitional area are being experienced.
CHALLENGES: Their intent was to dramatically upgrade-the economy on the local level; to improve and modernize facilities and services; to provide the practical training necessary for realistically enabling full employment; and to fully realize the social cooperation implicit in “Harambee”, the Kenyan spirit of local self-help.
HISTORY: The people of Kawangware have their own unique history of social responsibility and national obligation. From 1904 to 1959 African farming and land ownership was confined to native reserves. During this period of time, Kawangware and the neighbouring area of Satellite became a principle section of Nairobi in which land was made available for African freehold ownership. From the beginning of Independence on December 12, 1963, Kenya has focused its attention on national development through local participation. Harambee, as both the national theme of “let us build together” and the local vehicle for self-help, has become the spirit of Kenyans in building their nation. Harambee takes place when a village or local community decides to create a social service that is needed – a school, a road, or a health centre – and builds the needed service with its own labour and resources.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
By 1980 the people of Kawangware celebrated the following accomplishments:
The demonstration farm trained 150 new farmers who now export beans to Europe.
The metal shops trained 40 unskilled men, at the same time tripling its production and expanding to two new locations in Kawangware.
Two women’s industries have operated continuously since 1976, employing up to 120 village women earning from 25 to 45 shillings a day and marketing products in New York, Kenya, Europe and the United States.
Community efforts to improve roads and drainage have catalyzed city council commitment and influenced the direction of paving and sewer systems.
Workdays resulting in a village plaza and improved market, celebrations, planning meetings, and a Public Work Corps of 40 unemployed youth have created Kawangware unity and pride.
Kawangware has been the sign which has birthed a nationwide replication program which now numbers eleven projects.
800 adults have been in training and leadership methods courses while over 1000 youth participate in education programs annually with 200 equipped each year enter public schools.
Lindblad, David, “Eight Months in Kenya”, 1984-1985. In this paper, David describes his 9th grade year in Kenya assisting with village development by training village leaders, running a children’s summer camp, and building water tanks.
Lindblad, David, “Eight Months in Kenya”, 1984-1985. In this paper, David describes his 9th grade year in Kenya assisting with village development by training village leaders, running a children’s summer camp, and building water tanks.
