East Awareness, Attitudes and Perceptions of Safety among Slum Residents in Nairobi, Kenya.

The mushrooming informal settlements in the urban areas is a 21st-century reality that is common in developing economies such as Kenya. The growth of slums is an indictment of the influx of an increasing number of youth people into urban areas in search of better ways of earning a living. The towns and cities, however, cannot cope with this rapid expansion, thereby condemning a significant proportion of the urban poor into the informal settlements. This study examined the awareness, attitude, and perception of the slum residents in Nairobi, Kenya. The study focused on Kibera, Korogocho, Mathare, and Mukuru slums. The study included residents aged 18 years and above whose participation in the study was determined using systematic random sampling. A total of 659 respondents were involved in completing a survey with the help of the researcher. The data were analysed with the aid of the Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS)


INTRODUCTION
More than half of the population of the world lives in urban areas with the urban population expected to hit about 60% of the total global population by 2030. About 1.2 billion of the population that lives in these urban areas are considered informal settlement residents. In particular, Sub-Saharan Africa presents the highest population of urban residents who live in the informal settlement, accounting for about 56% of the population (Brown-Luthango et al., 2017). The increased expansion of urban informal settlement, accompanied by rapid urbanization has brought about challenges that include inadequate infrastructure and basic services, including unplanned urban housing which has predisposed urban spaces to insecurities and disasters (Simiyu et al., 2019).
According to the 2014 Kenyan National Slum Upgrading and Prevention Policy, slums are human settlements that are identified by dilapidated housing structures, exclusion of physical development, overcrowding, inadequate infrastructural services, high unemployment rates, abject poverty, insecure land tenure, and high insecurity incidences (Corburn & Karanja (2016). In Kenya, the challenge of informal settlement is especially acute in Nairobi city, which is the economic and political capital of the country where more than 65% of the population of 3.5 million people live. However, these informal settlements occupy a paltry 10% of the city's land (Mauti, 2020). This study focused on the awareness, attitudes, and perception of safety amongst the informal settlement residents in Nairobi.

LITERATURE REVIEW
Security within the constructs of informal settlement can also be regarded in the light of the security of tenure of the residents in these contexts. Berger (2006) points out that in most cases the residents in the informal settlements in developing countries lack tenure security and this exposes them to illegal evictions by inconsiderate landlords. Essentially, tenure security can be regarded as the rights of all individuals or groups within the informal settlement towards effective protection by the government against forced evictions. Compulsory evictions normally include temporary or permanent removal of the residents which is normally carried out against the will of the informal settlement residents or their communities on land that they have occupied legally. In most cases, slum residents lack official recognition of their dwelling, which translates to a lack of security of tenure. Lamba, (2005) points out that tenure informality is one of the major characteristics of informal settlements in many developing countries. Tenure informality normally occurs due to the focus of the private sector to develop housing that targets the middle and high-income groups, thereby forcing the urban poor to resort to finding housing in the informal settlements. The lack of security of tenure has inhibited many attempts aimed at improving shelter conditions of the urban poor. It has also led to the distortion of prices for land and services and also undermines long-term urban planning. Particularly, tenure insecurity significantly affects the access to basic urban services and investments in the settlements, a factor that has contributed to entrenched social exclusion and poverty. Makachia (2011) found that land tenure in the informal settlements is held informally and therefore does not provide adequate security for the residents. There is a lack of reliable information required for planning and formulating programs and policies to upgrade and regularise the informal settlements because the settlements are not part and parcel of the formal land management systems. Kenya informality has made it increasingly difficult for informal settlement residents to access housing and security of tenure, which therefore makes them susceptible to illegal evictions.
The situation has been brought about by the inability of the government to provide adequate services to the slum residents who are therefore compelled to rely on gangs operating within their community for the provision of services at a certain fee. The slum residents rely on these gangs for services such as the provision of security, with the guns becoming instruments for the administration of justice, law, and order. The gangs also become violent to the Resident when they fail to pay for the services that they provide them, or if they are late with a payment. Therefore, as the gangs replace the absence of government in the informal settlements, the residents are invariably at the mercy of the gangs who may in some cases determine who lives there and who should move out. In this way the gangs have become a force for both good and bad for the residents, thereby contributing to the security issues that are experienced in the informal settlement.
In their study, Bizimana et al. (2012) established that the land tenure insecurity in the informal settlements in Kigali is characterized by improper demarcation and lack of registration. There are also frequent incidents of land conflicts that often result in violent resolutions between the involved stakeholders. The local authorities and the landowner are often at loggerheads when it comes to the de facto lands rights transfers through selling and purchasing. The study, therefore, recommended the speeding up of the land tenure formalization and regularization.
In another study, Olale (2015) acknowledges that informal settlements have become a very common phenomenon in the urban areas for most developing countries and Kenya is one of them. The study also underscored the fact that informal settlements encounter a broad scope of challenges, one of which is characterized by the insecure tenure of the residents. Due to this, the informal settlement residents lack the initiative for engaging in sustainable and meaningful use of the land where they dwell. This has resulted in unplanned use of the land whereby residents erect temporary shelters which lack sustainable solid waste disposal mechanisms leading to challenges of open sewer systems and water pollution. The informal settlement residents are not assured of the ownership of the land where they occupy, they are aware of the possibility of being affected anytime when the rightful owners come to claim the land. This has often resulted in illegal evictions whereby the rightful owners evict the slum dwellers sometimes without giving notice or in defiance of court orders That may give the slum dwellers a reprieve from eviction for a certain duration. The lack of tenure also incentivizes the slum dwellers to adopt economic activities that may not be legal as a way of earning a living.
In their study, Wakefield & Tait, (2015) noted that the rate of urbanization in South Africa has increased over the past decade. Urbanization in this case is a function of excessive rural to urban migration of young people who are seeking greener pastures. It is currently projected that with this rate of rapid urbanization about 70% of the South African population will be living in urban areas by 2030. However, the Urban areas in South Africa do not provide adequate opportunity for the social and economic advancement of the increasing population, a trend that has pushed many young people into poverty, forcing them to seek housing within informal settlements where they can afford a roof over their head. The unemployed youth in these informal settlements are predisposed to criminal activities as a way of earning a living. They are the major contributors of insecurity in the informal settlement which is characterized by criminal activity such as burglaries, thefts, rape, murders, mugging amongst many others. Due to this, the development approaches that have been adopted to curb insecurity in the informal settlements have focused on crime and violence risk factors that are associated with urbanization targeting individuals, families, communities, and the entire structural setup of the settlements. Mahabir et al. (2016) note that, the by-product of insufficient infrastructure, pressure from rural to urban migration, and irresponsible policies. In most cases, slums are significantly neglected and are characterized by inadequate housing and deficient amenity services. They also lack opportunities for capital investment for small businesses and recreation facilities for the youth. Notably, whenever informal settlements are located in remote locations, they are also invariably hindered from accessing security and justice. Moreover, informal settlement residents are also the urban poor and are particularly disadvantaged by increased risks of crime and violence. The residents are, therefore, often defenceless and with the youth being susceptible to adopting criminogenic behaviour and therefore becoming perpetrators. Whereas crime in these informal settlements could be pervasive it is imperative to acknowledge the deep-seated causes of violence and insecurity, which include economic inequality, gender prejudice, poverty, youth unemployment, and social exclusion. It is also important to take into account the responsibilities and failures of government agencies to not just protect favoured citizens and also guarantee the informal settlement residents. Corburn & Karanja (2016) note that the lack of the security of tenure is one of the key defining features of informal settlements, which are mostly found in urban settings. Therefore, due to the temporary list of their residency in the informal settlements, the slum dwellers have to grapple with a myriad of challenges which include poor housing constructions, poor access to safe toilets mostly affecting women and children, poor economic opportunities, and the general lack of safety and security due to increased crime rates. The study established that women and girls at the Mathare at informal settlement are exposed to indignity as they seek to access toilet facilities in their neighborhood. They cannot go out to use the toilet after sunset due to the lack of lighting. They are also prone to the violence caused by men drinking illicit brew who have on some occasions assaulted them physically and sexually. The study also established that sexual assault was common in the Kibera slum with about 30 percent of women reporting having been forced to perform sexual acts when they access toilet facilities in their community. The study, therefore, noted that the building of additional communal toilets within the informal settlement should first and foremost take into account the security and dignity of the women living within these areas. Brown-Luthango et al. (2017) observed that one of the key priorities of the upgrading of Freedom Park informal settlement in South Africa was to improve safety and security. The study established that the informal settlement had become safer after the upgrading program which involved re-blocking. The residents cited the significant decrease in incidents of mothers and muggings after reblocking. The perception of safety after the upgrading of the informal sector was also a function of cooperation among the community members and the creation of spaces that left criminals with no convenient places for ambushing their potential victims. The new cluster arrangement of the houses had significantly improved informal surveillance and neighbourliness, providing the residents with a level of control over potential acts of violence and crime. The study also indicated that the community dealt with the criminals decisively and accordingly. The upgrading also resulted in bringing the toilets closer to the houses, which improved the security and safety of the residents, particularly during the night. However, the study also pointed out that some residents still did not feel safe even after the informal settlement was upgraded since they feared being mugged. The incidents of armed robbery had also increased with new categories of violent crime being reported even as domestic violence and child abuse persisted. They also mentioned the lack of street lighting which provided cover for criminals to ambush residents and that the closeness of the houses to the roads was a security risk to the children. Others who still did not feel safe cited the shebeens that were still operational, where drunken people misbehaved and fought among themselves. Jones (2017) found that some of the security issues that affect residents in informal settlements in Bandung Indonesia involve the absence of key basic services including sanitation and drinking water, structurally unsafe housing, overcrowded living areas, and the lack of security of tenure. An increased number of people who migrate to urban areas are unable to access land and housing through formal systems. They, therefore, resort to seeking shelter in the vacant lands and the existing informal settlements, which they consider affordable and accessible. These unplanned settlements have become urban villages and even though they may be illegally settled or rather have some extra-legal approval by current residents or landowners they are not necessarily illegal. The study further established that the emergence of informal settlements can be broadly regarded to be in response to the inability of the formal institution and government policies to provide for the basic human needs and rights, which include housing within the formal market, safety, and security. The informal settlement residents have therefore found it convenient to cluster with similar ethnic groups or kin to provide themselves with employment, safety, and security. The shelter is, however, not guaranteed to the lack of tenure security that often manifests in terms of evictions.
According to Kabendei (2018), insecurity is a key problem that is bedevilling the residents in urban areas. This is evident considering the increase in the rate of crime in urban areas in the past two decades. The factors contributing to the high crime rates in the urban areas include poor management of urban centres, inadequate service provision to the urban residents, and the lack of reliable security in the management of urban areas. A significant proportion of the population living in urban areas is consigned to the informal settlement where they are exposed to social, economic, and physical ramifications. Evidently, the fast growth of the urban population has led to overcrowding, formations of unique social and community networks, low employment, all of which have facilitated the emergence of violence and crime in the informal settlement areas. Urbanization is associated with the increase in the levels of urban poverty which is characterized by exclusion and scarcity. The increase in the number of the poor within urban areas has, in turn, made it necessary for the affected people to develop shelters that are insecure within congested areas, where social exclusion, inadequate water and sanitation, and electricity access is problematic. The high crime rate in the informal settlements is therefore associated with the increase in the complexity and intensity of urbanization. Simiyu et al. (2019) concurred that the improvement of the tenure security in urban settings is associated with the improvement in the quality of housing. This is because the housing units that are located in locations that have tenure security have better structures for living and also provide better neighbourhood facilities. The study found that one of the key challenges that residents of informal settlements in Kisumu City complained about was insecurity. While poverty and unemployment contributed to the cases of insecurity in the informal settlements, the poor housing structures also provided a conducive environment for criminals to conduct their activities which included prostitution, mugging, selling of illicit brews, and drugs and substance abuse. In particular, the deprivation in the informal settlement has predisposed at-risk youths to adopt criminality as a way of life. The study recommended the upgrading of the housing units in the informal settlements and the supporting of the existing income-generating activities of the residents as one of the ways through which incidence of insecurities could be contained. The landlords, community groups, tenants, state agencies, and non-governmental organizations should be involved in any program that is aimed at addressing insecurity incidents in the informal settlements for them to have a better chance of succeeding. Zerbo et al. (2020) argue that the hazards and vulnerabilities that characterized informal settlement in urban cities in Sub-saharan Africa have created specific risk conditions that are both socially and geographically specific even as they are dynamic. The study notes that inadequate social services, high levels of unemployment, extreme poverty, and insecurity are some of these characteristics that interact within the oven informal settlement contexts. Therefore, to comprehensively understand the risks that injure, impoverish, sicken or kill the urban residents in an informal settlement is essential to enable one to get a comprehensive picture of the refills in these particular areas. The study established that there is a broad scope of risks that the informal settlement residents face on a daily basis which emanates from their poor living conditions. The informal settlements consist of impoverished dwellings that are built from materials such as scrap metal, corrugated metal, plywood, and polythene, which are not only susceptible to fires but they're also easily broken into by burglars and thieves. The physical environment in these informal settlements provides a conducive atmosphere for criminals to conduct their activities, particularly at night due to the narrow streets and poor lighting in the settlements. Visagie & Turok (2020) argues that in most cases policymakers ignore the economic significance of informal settlements due to the patent poverty and insecurity amongst its residents. The likelihood that these informal settlements provide a low-cost getaway for economic opportunities elsewhere within urban spaces is often overlooked. The lack of public services and proper housing infrastructure in the informal settlements have significantly impeded all types of productive trading activities in the settlements. Due to this, some residents and particularly the youth with no employment have resorted to victimizing fellow residents through crime as a way of earning their livelihoods. The study noted that the informal settlements could serve as incubators for productive enterprises whereby young people are provided with opportunities for acquiring skills that they can use to generate livelihoods and also develop supportive networks to help them get ahead. The slum upgrading programs that are currently widely adopted across developing economies have the potential of addressing insecurity issues in the informal settlements, and more particularly tenure security. The opportunity costs associated with insecure occupation invariably increase as their settlements develop and become denser since the inherent value of the land also increases. This increases the risk of eviction due to the value that could be accrued due to commercial redevelopment. Fillipi et al. (2020), established that urban insecurity challenges refer to the various forms of criminal activities that include organized crime, violence against vulnerable minorities and groups, human trafficking, sexual violence, robbery, theft, and burglary. they also include pickpocketing and marking, violent radicalization and terrorism, and, vandalism. Notably, these insecurities could either be actual or perceived within the context of urbanization. The perception of insecurity within the public sphere invariably influences the social behavior of individuals within the community. This makes it imperative for stakeholders to develop an urban environment that can limit the perception of insecurity and therefore encourage social and economic development within the urban spaces. Uban insecurity is most severe in the informal settlements where there are incidents of high economic deprivation characterized by unemployment and underemployment; and where other illegalities thrive such as prostitution, drug trafficking, selling of illicit brews, and criminal gangs. The residents of the informal settlements in the urban areas have therefore grapple with a myriad of issues associated with their safety and security as they undergo their daily activities. They are susceptible to victimization by criminals either at their homes due to their poor housing structures and even outside their homes end route to or from their daily occupation. Mauti (2020) established that it is impossible to achieve social justice and social development without peace and security. In the same vein, social justice and social development cannot be attained without the respect of fundamental freedoms and human rights. In particular, the study found that most of the residents in the Kawangare slum considered the lack of security as their major concern, which significantly affected their lives. The residents noted that insecurity manifested in the form of crimes such as drug trafficking, house break-ins, pickpocketing, rape and assault, robbery with violence, muggings, and conning which were the most prevalent crimes in the informal settlement. Some of the effects of these insecurity incidents include the collapse of small businesses and health implications to the people who are attacked by criminals. The insecurity in this formal informal settlement is caused by loose security measures put in place, poor living conditions, and lack of employment for the youth among many other factors. Therefore, any development intervention that is targeted towards the residents of informal settlements must first take into account the primary predictor of insecurity and violence in this context. Any intervention that fails to do so invariably fails to prevent youth from adopting criminality as a way of life.

METHODOLOGY
The study was based on a descriptive research design, which according to Creswell & Creswell, (2018) is appropriate for research that seeks to understand or rather describe the traits or characteristics of the research population or research phenomenon. In this case, the study focused on describing the awareness attitudes and perceptions of safety among the informal settlement residents in four slums including Kibera, Korogocho, Mathare, and Mukuru which are located in Nairobi County. The target population of the study included residents in these informal settlements from 18 years and above. Systematic random sampling was used to determine the participants to be included in the study. Mugenda & Mugenda, (2003) points out that systematic random sampling is suitable for studies with large population sizes, whereby the participants are selected based on a random starting point but with a fixed periodic interval. In this case, the interval was decided by the fifth person after the previous interviewee. The researchers, therefore, counted four adults and interviewed the 5th after the previous one until the 659 participants included in the study were reached. The data were collected using structured questionnaires, which were administered by the researcher considering the busy and mobile nature of the informal settlement residents which could not allow the researcher to leave them to complete the questionnaire within a specified period. The researcher did not require the participants to provide their names for the purpose of ensuring the anonymity and confidentiality of the data that they provided in the study. The data was subsequently typed into the Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS) program for analysis. The data were analysed descriptively involving frequencies and percentages and were subsequently presented using tables.

RESULTS AND FINDINGS
The finding of the study indicated that 53% of the respondents were male, while 47% of the respondents were female. The percentage of male respondents was more than women in three informal settlements, including Kibera (52%), Mathare (57%), and Mukuru (54%). The percentage of female respondents was higher in the Korogocho slum (54%). The findings of the study were therefore based on an almost equal proportion of gender in the research population.

Age of Respondents
The findings of the study indicated that the majority of respondents were aged between 24 to 34 years (43%). The other significant age bracket was of respondents aged between 18 to 24 years (33%).
The respondents aged between 35 to 44 years was 15%. Those aged between 45 to 54 years were 5%; 55 to 64 years were 3%; and those aged 65 years and above were 1%. However, about 1% of respondents declined to indicate their age group. These findings indicated that the majority of the population living in the informal settlements consisted of people aged between 18 to 44 years.

Education Level of Respondents
The findings indicated that the majority of the informal settlement residents head completed secondary school education (30%); about 23% had completed primary school education; 19% had acquired some secondary school education; 15% had acquired tertiary education; 9% had acquired some primary school education; 3% had never gone to school; 1% had acquired some university-level education and above while another 1% declined to indicate their level of education. These findings demonstrated that most of the informal settlement residents were literate considering that they could read and write. Their education level was, however, not adequate to make them competitive in the labour market considering that only 15% had tertiary education and 1% had a university education.

Work Status of the Respondents
The findings showed that the majority of the informal settlement residents were employed as casual laborers (31%). About 25% of the residents were unemployed; 23% were self-employed; 10% were employed full-time and 8% were employed part-time. Besides, 2% of the residents were retired while 1% declined to reveal their work status. The findings demonstrated that a significant proportion of the residents were underemployed as casual laborers, with a significant number being unemployed. Kibera slum had the highest number of unemployed residents (32%) and residents who were employed full-time (10%); Mathare had the highest number of employed casual laborers (38%); Korogocho had the highest number of selfemployed residents (30%).

Marital Status of the Respondents
The findings showed that 49% of the informal settlement residents were married; while 43% of the residents were single and 8% were either divorced, separated, or widowed. Mathare had the highest proportion of married residents as compared to the other slums (53%); there are more single residents in Mukuru slum (51%) as compared to others, with Korogocho slum having more divorced, separated, or widowed respondents (10%) as compared to the others.

House Hold Status of the Respondents
The findings showed that the respondents held various statuses within their households in the informal settlements. About 51% of the residents were heads of their households; 24% were housewives and 12% were relatives. Another 7% of the respondents were children in the household; and while 3% considered themselves as others, 2% declined to reveal their household status.

Respondents Length of Stay in the Informal Statement
The findings showed that the majority of the informal settlement residents had stayed there for a duration of more than 6 years (47%); about 27% of the residents had stayed in the slums for a period lasting between 1 and 3 years, and 20% had lived there for a duration of between 4 and 6 years. Besides, 6% of the residents had lived there for less than one year while 1% declined to reveal their length of stay in the informal settlements. Mukuru slum reported the highest proportion of residents who had lived there for less than one year (10%) and also those who had lived between 1 and 3 years (40%). Mathare slum reported the highest proportion of residents who have lived between 4 and 6 years (25%) while Kibera slum reported the highest proportion of those who had lived in the settlement for more than 6 years (61%).

Type of Toilet
The findings showed that the majority of the respondents (85%) used pit latrines; 14% used water closets with cess tanks while 1% used other means. Therefore, the pit latrine was the most prominent toilet across the four slums.

Toilet share by more than one household
The findings showed that 97% of the slum residents shared toilet facilities; while only 3% did not share the toilet facilities. The findings, therefore, demonstrated that despite the pit latrine being the most prominent toilet across the slums, it was also shared amongst the residents.

Household Type
The majority of the houses in the informal settlements were made of iron sheets (33%); about 31% of the houses were made of mud; 20% were made of bricks or stones; 5% were made out of timber while 11% were made of other material. Therefore, iron sheets and mud were the most predominant material used to build houses in the informal settlements. Kibera slum had the highest proportion of mud houses is among the informal settlements (63%); Mukuru had the highest proportion of iron sheet houses among the slums (63%); while Korogocho had the highest proportion of brick or stone houses among the four Lambs (35%).

The number of people sharing the house
The proportion of residents sharing houses in the informal settlements included 22% sharing between two people; another 22% sharing among 3 people; 20% sharing among 4 people while 37% had other alternative living arrangements.

Household Size
The household sizes of the informal settlement residents then between 1 and above 5 members. The findings showed that the majority of resident households had three numbers (27%); 26% of the households had members; 25% of the households had four members; 8% of the households had 5 members; another 8% had one member age and 6% had more than 5 members. The number of households that were shared between 2 and more members was higher as compared to those that had a single occupant.

Accessibility to Water Supply
The findings showed that most of the residents (45%) agreed that they had adequate access to water supply; 19% strongly agreed they had access to water supply while 5% neither agreed nor disagreed. However, 23% of the residents disagreed that they had adequate access to water supply while 8% strongly disagreed.

Sanitation
The findings showed that the majority of residents (49%) strongly disagreed that the area they lived in had good sanitation; 33% also disagreed while 9% neither agreed nor disagreed. However, 7% of the residents agreed then they lived in an area with good sanitation while 2% strongly agreed.

House Hold Living Space
The majority of the residents strongly disagreed that they lived in a house with enough space for their daily activities (40%); another 35% disagreed while 7% were neutral. However, 10% of the residents agreed that they lived in a house that had enough space for their daily activities whereas 6% strongly disagreed.

Fear of Eviction
The majority of the residents (48%) strongly disagreed that they did not fear being evicted from where they lived one day; 28% also disagreed while 12% were neutral. However, while 6% agreed that they did not fear being evicted from where they lived one day; 5% also strongly agreed.

Income of the Respondents
The findings showed that most residents (32%) in the informal settlements did not know or rather refused to divulge their monthly income. However, 22% of the residents earned between KSH. 3001 and 5,000 per month; 16% earned between KSH. 1000 and 3000; 14% earned between KSH. 5001 and 7000; 5% earned between KSH. 7001 and 9000; while another 5% earned KSH. 9000 and above.

Economy
The majority of respondents (81%) claimed that the economy was a big problem to them; 14% indicated that the economy was a moderate problem to them; 3% said that it was a small problem; 1% said it was not a problem while another 1% refused to indicate their opinion on the same.

Unemployment
The majority of the respondents (89%) claimed that unemployment is a big problem; 7% indicated that it was a moderate problem; 2% said it was a small problem while another 2% also said that it was not a problem.

Poverty
The findings showed that the majority of the residents (83%) indicated that poverty was a big problem to them; 13% said that it was a moderate problem; while 3% said that it was a small problem.

Crime and Safety
The findings showed that 47% of the residents said that crime and safety was a big problem; 35% of the residents said it was a moderate problem; 15% said that it was a small problem, and only 2% indicated that it was not a problem.

Politics
The majority of the residents (35%) said that politics was a small problem; 32% said that it was not a problem; 17% said that it was a moderate problem; 14% say that it was a big problem while 2% did not give their views on the same.

Fear of Crime
The residents worried in terms of their extent of fear of crime or criminal victimization. The majority of the residents (57%) feared crime a great deal; 25% feared crime to a fair amount; 14% did not fear crime very much; 4% did not fear crime at all while 1% did not know.

Crime Trend Perceptions
The findings showed that most of the residents (46%) indicated that the crime trends had decreased.
However, 31% of the residents claimed that crime increased; 18% said that the trains had remained the same while 5% did not know.

Crime Trend Expectation in the Next One Year
Many of the respondents (42%) expected crime trends to decrease in the next year. However, 29% of the residents expected crime trends to increase in the next year; 8% indicated that crime trends will remain the same while 20% claimed that they did not know.

Number of Times Affected by Crime
The findings showed that the majority of the informal settlement residents (49%) who are affected by crime only once; 24% were affected twice; 15% were affected more than thrice and 11% were affected thrice. Only 1% of the residents did not know or rather declined to indicate the number of times they were affected by crime.

Time of Crime
The findings of the study showed that most of the crimes (29%) happened between early evenings to midnight; 13% happened early in the morning; another 13% happened late at night; and 19% happened in the evening. Besides, 7% of the crimes happened mid-morning; 7% at midday; 7% late in the afternoon; while 3% happened early in the afternoon.

Location of Crime
Many of the residents (39%) indicated that most of the crimes happened on the way; 31% claim that they happened in the house; 19% were irritated that they happened outside their houses but nearby; 8% claim they happened in public places while 3% indicated that they happened in other places.

CONCLUSION
The majority of the informal settlement residents are literate having acquired primary and secondary education. The education levels of the residents are however, generally low, making them uncompetitive in the labour market. This increasingly affects a significant portion of youth in the informal settlement, with some ending up engaging in criminal activity as a way of earning a living, which contributes to insecurity in the slums. Most of the residents in the informal settlement are married and have lived in the slums for more than 6 years. Another significant number has lived in the slums for not more than 3 years, which reflect the increased absorption of the urban poor in the slum occasioned by rural to urban migration.
The houses in the slums are predominantly made of iron sheet and mud. They are therefore, temporary structures, which reflect the tenancy insecurity of the residents in the slums. The residents ever live in the fear of getting evicted any time, which has apparently contributed in their lack of investment in better material for constructing their houses. The sizes of the households range between people living alone to those living more than five members in the same housing unit. Most of the residents do not have adequate space within their households to undertake their daily activities. The residents also use latrines, which they share amongst households. The residents generally have an adequate access to water supply, even though the number of those who lack such an access is also substantial. However, the sanitation in the informal settlements is generally poor.
The majority of the residents acknowledged that the economy was one of the biggest problems they faced in the informal sector and they could not divulge their income status. However, with only 5% of the residents earning less than Kshs. 9000 per month, and the rest earning lower than that, the whole population in the informal settlements live less than a dollar a day. The residents acknowledge that unemployment is a big problem to them, which is associated with poverty that is also a big problem to them. The informal settlement therefore, reflect the stratification of the urban population based on socio-economics, which has lumped the urban poor in the deplorable living conditions as reflected by the findings in this study.
The informal settlement residents also acknowledged that crime and safety was a big problem to them. The crime in this context is closely associated with the poverty and unemployment in the informal settlements. The residents therefore, worried about crime in their neighbourhood to a great deal. However, most of them acknowledged that crime rate had decreased and expected that it would continue to decrease in the next one year. This reflects the need for evaluating the causes of the declining rates of crime rates in the informal settlements. Most residents affected by crime had one incident to report regarding their victimization. The crimes were often perpetrated between early night to mid-night and they often occurred outside the home, though there were also some that were perpetrated at home. Politics was not considered a big problem because it only becomes so, after the politicians leverage ethnic divides amongst the residents or armed ethnic youth groups to help them fight their local political rivals or use them to advance national power struggles.

Recommendations
Stakeholders need to come up with programs and modalities that sensitize the residents on a broad scope of issues regarding their safety in the informal settlement. This could through workshops that target groups such as the youth, women, adolescent girls and boys, ex-convicts, drugs and substance addicts, commercial sex workers etc. The training could also be provided through community radios within the informal settlement. The sensitization should target informing the residents about the crime going on around them and the measures they can undertake to protect themselves from victimization.
There is need for the government to come up with modalities for ensuring that the land tenure for informal settlements is secured. This is a precursor for ensuring sustainable development of housing and social amenity infrastructure in the settlement, which is required to boost security and safety in the slums. The securing of land tenure will give confidence the property developers in the informal settlement to come up with more durable housing units, improve sanitation and lighting in the neighbourhood and provide the residents with official recognition by the relevant authorities.