The Kaza Mwendo Housing Cooperative, in Nairobi, is formed by two groups of traders from the Toi Market: The Toi Market Saving Scheme (TMSS), and the Seito Self-Help Group (SHG). They united in a common goal to improve their living conditions by raising funds to acquire land ownership and fight for their right to adequate housing. The majority of the cooperative members live in Kibera, the largest slum in Eastern Africa and Kenya.

Residents of Kibera have historically been Africans with no access to urban land nor to formal housing because of conditions of chronic poverty and marginalization. Most of the Kibera residents - and the cooperative members - lack security of land tenure and constantly face eviction and demolition risk by both government and land owners. Their living conditions are also very precarious due to a lack of infrastructure and public services, drinkable water and sanitation. They endure dangerous environmental conditions and social and economic marginalization.

Therefore, the cooperative was formed to build housing units for the members’ families on a land outside Nairobi. They aim to leave the slum of Kibera and improve their living conditions. Before the cooperative was formed, the Muungano group managed to buy 80 acres of land in Machakos County. It is on this land that the housing project will be developed.

The Housing Project was developed as part of a participatory design workshop between representatives of the Kaza Mwendo Housing Cooperative and two universities, the Université de Montréal (UdeM) of Canada and the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) of Kenya.

Architecture, urban design, landscape architecture and construction management experts and students have all contributed to the design process and made it possible to approach this project in a holistic way.