Dandora

Dandora is an eastern suburb in Nairobi, Kenya. It is part of the Embakasi division. Surrounding neighbourhoods called estates include Kariobangi, Baba Dogo, Gitare Mariogo and Korogocho. Dandora is divided into five phases. Dandora was established in 1977, with partial financing by the World Bank in order to offer higher standard of housing [1]. However, the estate has turned into a high-density slum with high unemployment. Nairobi's principal dumping site is situated in Dandora, probably causing health problems for local residents. The Dandora Oxygenation Ponds, a prominent feature on satellite imagery of the area, is Nairobi's main sewage treatment works, and discharges processed water into Nairobi River.^[1]

Dandora was listed by the Blacksmith Institute as of the most polluted site in the world.^[2]

Recently many Kenyan hip hop groups and artits have emerged from Dandora, for example Kalamashaka and G.rongi. Hip Hop culture has developed and played such a significant role in Dandora that many artists are determined to use hip hop as a positive community force. Recently visits by American hip hop artist group Dead Prez has increased attention to the impoverished condition of Dandora. “Hip-hop is a powerful tool that we can use to educate those in the darkness so if a rapper grabs the microphone to rap about jewellery and material riches when his community is very poor then he is lying to the people because what he’s rapping about is not true. Our communities are poor we don’t own nothing so why should we rap about things we don’t own. The big companies pimping us so we should not easily fall in the trap,” expressed by a member of Dead Prez on visit. Dandora is finally beginning to gain momentum in gaining attention to the humanitarian and environmental issues in the slum.

GidiGidi,real name John Ogidi, one half of the Gidi Gidi Maji Maji duo used to live in Dandora.

Here is a list of schools found in Dandora. Most of them are public schools, but there are also private schools. A few of them are no more than ramshackle hovels:

Public Primary schools: They are all named, except Dandora Primary School, for significant people in Kenya's pre-colonial and colonial past. Ronald Ngala Primary School Tom Mboya Primary School Wangu Primary School Dandora Primary School James Gichuru Primary School

Secondary Schools Dandora Secondary School

Crime

Dandora like most of the estates in the Eastlands area is prone to rampant crime. There are often gang related activities. Two infamous gangs in Kenya reside in Dandora: Kamjesh and Mungiki. Extortion, murder, illegal taxation and rape are things that residents have become used to.^[3] The Mungiki extort money from matatu operators.