The recent visit by Ban Ki-moon, the new UN Secretary General to Kibera- Africa’s largest slum where over 800,000 people live in squalor and abject poverty might have looked ordinary to most people, but for Margaret Achieng, this visit signaled hope.

Achieng a resident of the sprawling Kibera slum was glad that, Bi-moon’s first visit to Kenya included this epic detour to Kibera. This action in many ways demonstrated his solidarity with them and helped to bring the world’s attention on the life they live in the slums. 

“Even though he did not bring us food, the world saw how we live and that only is a big statement for women like us.”

Achieng who is a single mother is also happy with Bi-moon for having chosen a woman to be his deputy. “I might be semi-illiterate, but I heard people talking when he was in Kibera that for the first time, a UN Secretary General has appointed an African woman to be his deputy,” she said.

Living in Kibera that is crumbled up with people in just 220 hectares of land, Achieng faces surmountable challenges and hopes that if Kenya can make progress towards achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2015, life might change particularly for women and children in slums such as Kibera.

Currently the slum faces some of the worst cases of water and sanitation and extreme cases of poverty.

“At least we are seeing some actions and soon we could be living in better conditions and have water in the new houses the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) plans to build,” noted Achieng

Immediately upon arrival, the UN secretary general came face-to-face with the reality of abject poverty as he toured the Kenyan capital's Kibera slum.

Donning a safari suit and a UN cap, Ban, did a walkabout along the slum's dusty pathways next to a railway line running thorough Kibera and next to rickety shacks and open sewers.

I'll try my best to help you," the UN chief, accompanied by UN-Habitat executive director Anna Tibaijuka, told the crowd that gathered to listen to him bring a message of hope.

Being the site of housing schemes run by the Nairobi-based UN Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat), Ki-moon urged residents not to lose hope and pledged to work harder than ever to eradicate global poverty and other social ills.

"I feel very much humbled by what I am seeing now. That makes me resolve again my firm commitment to work for the improvement of the living conditions, education, water, sanitation and housing all these are the challenges which we must overcome," Mr. Ban said outside the UN-Habitat in Kibera

"This is not the only place, I know. There are many other billions of people suffering from lack of affordable housing - all the facilities which make our life decent," he said. "We must work together and generate political will to have a smooth implementation of the MDGs and I will work very closely, and harder than before."

His resolve to make sure that women are given a chance, Ki-moon during a briefing meeting with the UN staff in Nairobi highlighted the issue of women and leadership and the need to member countries to achieve MDG 3 which talks of promoting gender equality and empowering women in all spheres of life. He also touched on the need to eradicate poverty and also on sexual violence against women which affects women most.

Stating his support for women and leadership, Ki-moons believe in merit and gender equality which he said should go hand in hand with adequate resources.

“The Secretary General’s message has given us the zeal to continue working to improve the lives of women in this region,” said Nyaradzai Gumobonzvanda, UNIFEM’s regional Director.

Currently UNIFEM is implementing Gender and Governance Programme (GGP), which aims at supporting women candidates during the 2007 General Election.

Ki-moon whose reform agenda is one UN, one voice has committed to ensuring that the proposed UN agency for women is established soon.

---