Kisumu Platform for Inclusive Slum Upgrading

Location: Kisumu, Kenya (specifically the informal settlements of Manyatta, Obunga, and Nyalenda)

Partner(s): Plan International (Plan Denmark), DANIDA (Danish Government Development Agency), and the County Government of Kisumu

Project Overview

This pilot project was established to address the critical environmental and health challenges in Kisumu’s informal settlements, where 60% of the city’s population resides. The initiative focuses on creating a local multi-stakeholder platform to develop, test, and scale sustainable business models for solid waste and sanitation management. By bridging the gap between formal city strategies and informal community actions, Quercus Group works to transform basic service delivery into viable entrepreneurial opportunities that improve the livelihoods and well-being of the urban poor.

Key Areas of Work

  • Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration: Establishing a neutral platform for dialogue between the County Government, private entrepreneurs, NGOs, and community-based organizations.
  • Waste & Sanitation Value Chains: Mapping the journey of waste and faecal sludge to identify commercial “leakages” and opportunities for value addition.
  • Inclusive Urban Governance: Ensuring the voices of slum dwellers are integrated into formal city planning and service delivery frameworks.
  • Circular Economy: Promoting business models that turn waste into resources, such as recycling and energy recovery.

Activities Implemented

  • Innovation & Design-Thinking Workshops: Facilitating rapid ideation sessions with residents and entrepreneurs to co-create market-based solutions for waste collection.
  • Market System Mapping: Conducting deep explorations of the “friction points” between formal regulations and the informal reality of slum services.
  • Platform Institutionalization: Designing the governance structure for a multi-stakeholder platform that pools resources, distributes risks, and creates leverage with formal institutions.
  • Stakeholder Engagement: Leading field visits and consultations with local Neighborhood Planning Associations and micro-entrepreneurs.

Impact / Outcomes

  • Integrated Waste Management Model: Development of a shared-ownership entity that combines scattered micro-entrepreneurs into a more resilient and formalised business unit.
  • Improved Living Conditions: Direct contribution to the reduction of environmental pollution and health risks (such as cholera and malaria) through better waste and sanitation services.
  • Enhanced Entrepreneurial Capacity: Empowering youth and women in informal settlements with business skills and access to a supportive innovation ecosystem.
  • Strategic Roadmap: Creating a scalable pilot model that provides a blueprint for inclusive urban upgrading in other rapidly growing East African cities.

Approach or Methodology Used

Quercus Group applied a Systems-Thinking and Design-Thinking Approach. Rather than implementing a top-down infrastructure project, the methodology focused on “planting idea seeds” through collaborative workspaces. This indirectly triggered the creation of a support system (the platform) shaped around the actual energies and talents of the residents. This approach ensures that the resulting business models are culturally relevant, community-owned, and economically sustainable.