Interviewer: Tell us about yourself, your name, your life here at Kambi Moto and about your children.

How are you? My name is Susan Naitore, I have been living here at Kambi Moto and I can say it has changed because I used to rent a house then. But I was got an opportunity to have my own structure here. That has helped me a lot because I had rented houses for almost 30 years. I came here on December 2007 now I always feel that I am a bit free. Speaking the truth I have many grandchildren. And some I usually live with them here but others are not currently with me but during their holidays they were all here. I love them and they too loves me.  I have scholars, one is schooling at Technical University, others are in secondary school in form three, for me I manage to reach to the level that they have reached and that’s why I support them.

 I have been I Muungano for a long time and I can say I was among the founders. I have made a lot of savings and we have done many meetings because that time many were doing their own businesses. Therefore all the money that we collected used to take to bank. So when we started our project and I loved learning new skills now I can build windows, doors, laddish and beams. I can go there and get a loan because I will find people there who were training us and we could pick up.

So for me I feel it is good when people to unite together despite the background without wondering if you are born of the same mother or come from the same region. We lie to ourselves when we identify ourselves with different ethnic group. Because it is our leaders who are tribal but others if you understand we are one, we can make the progress.  This project helped us so much, as I told you, I had no structure of my own I used to rent, but later God bless me and it is not me alone. Women too are hardworking, women always join such groups and most of these house are registered by women’s name and I am among them. Because when we would tell it to our husbands, sometimes they are drunk or they would think they are being conned and many other such things. But if as a wife you have a vision you would continue with others to the end and that is how I succeeded. Because even when my husband was alive and I told him that we are vacating he was astonished until the time when we entered and started living there. And since December, 2007 I am still living there to date. And I am very happy because from that time nobody knocks at my door asking for house rent. But I am doing everything that is required in the group.

And when I am in those groups, they assist me a lot especially a time like this, because if I needed loan or any other thing I will go to those that I collaborate together with. And the most important one I had flights to many countries to teach people. And the challenges that are faced by lowly people they are almost the same because they in the same level. We could train those people that we visited on how they could grow from one level to another.  We also went to South Africa, Durban four of us and we were given 11 houses, because those people there don’t know how to maintain the lands, they do not think about the coming generations. We taught them how they to keep spaces for the future generation. So we went there and did what was required of us. We had gone there two women and our mentor who was guiding us.

 I can say is that we learn from one another and were are interdependent. What I can say, even the idea of bottom up is for those that are employed but not for the lowly people who don’t even have source of income.  In these slums, there are crippled, blind and many other things and if they are supposed to do their savings as our president is saying of they have nothing to save. Most of them will rag behind because they are supposed to benefit from the areas that they live.

And different people who have tittle can unite together, I can do something they can a land somewhere else which can become an estate. This was something that was introduced to broaden people’s mind, whether those who are employed or slum dwellers to help themselves to grow.

I can’t what has happened because something has stopped. Previously, savings were non-stop and I say we should continue doing savings to complete the houses in Kambi Moto. Then our children as they continue savings can buy land in another places and build their house together.  Although its only house they can build, others can even get loan from the group because that money is for the members. But to share that money we have records which shows how much each member can borrow. These records indicates how much each member has saved.

In case we have a projects that money can be used, but as an individual, one cannot afford. “One finger does not kill lice”, we need to be move together focusing ahead. But nowadays people are a bit reluctant in saving and we don’t know who will mobilize them.  And while my colleagues and I were in charge of slums, we realized that if the slums to be finished, then we could have become house tenants. Because rich people usually buy land, build houses and start renting those house to people. And this we could have stopped if they lacked tenants since they could be having their own house.