Udahemuka, Fidelis F. (2008) Poverty among Slum Dwellers The Case of Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya. Licentiate thesis, Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley, California.
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Abstract
Poverty is the greatest enemy of humanity. It abrogates against human rights, dignity, freedom, and respect. It deprives the poor of the means to effectively participate in social, political, and economic affairs of their respective societies. As such, it stifles the possibilities of the poor to develop and actualize their full potential. Also, poverty subjects the poor to all kinds of negative human attitudes: it makes them the object of pity for those who sympathize and a laughing stock for those who believe that poverty is a result of laziness. In a similar fashion, poverty makes the impoverished vulnerable and susceptible to the manipulations of unscrupulous political and economic profiteers. In the slum of Kibera in the city of Nairobi, Kenya, poverty has captured the attention of local and international media, and many charitable and non-governmental organizations. Typing the name “Kibera” on Google search brings dozens of websites describing social, health, and economic activities of various organizations working there. These websites indicate many activities designed to improve the condition of this place for its residents. The reality on the ground, however, does not coincide with the contents of these reports. Based on that, this thesis aims at understanding the present situation of Kibera, how it got that way, whether the poor in Kibera have the right to claim support out of their situation. Finally, it aims at finding the remedy to the predicaments of the poor. The main argument in this thesis is that poverty among slum dwellers of Kibera in Nairobi city is neither a result of scarcity of resources, nor the inability of the Kenyan government to overcome it. Rather, it is a product of greed, corruption, disregard, and systematic exploitation of the weak by the powerful. Drawing from the Catholic Social Teaching (CST), this thesis proposes an ethical paradigm that puts an accent on the preferential option for the poor. This option prioritizes social and economic justice unlike the currently predominant Darwinian ethic based on the survival of the fittest.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Licentiate) |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BD Speculative Philosophy |
| Divisions: | Africana |
| Depositing User: | JHI Africa |
| Date Deposited: | 25 Feb 2015 13:55 |
| Last Modified: | 12 Mar 2018 13:09 |
| URI: | http://thesisbank.jhia.ac.ke/id/eprint/168 |
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