Poverty as a Driving Force to Insecurity in Slums within Nairobi

The rapid growth of poverty and insecurity in slums is alarming and needs more attention. The by city authorities to plan effectively and enforce land and urban laws has led to rapid and unplanned growth of informal settlements in major cities around the worlds. The purpose of this paper was to establish the relationship between poverty and insecurity in slum settlements within Nairobi Kenya. Stratified random sampling was used to select a sample of 120 respondents. Primary data was collected using structured questionnaires and interview schedules from respondents. Literature was reviewed from books, journals, periodicals and newspapers. The data collected was analyzed quantitatively using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) and qualitatively through interpretation of the various responses generated, and the outcome presented by use of frequency tables, bar graphs, pie charts and cross tabulation where applicable. The findings and recommendations are beneficial to national government, county governments, civil society organizations, NGO’s and international organizations concerned with eradicating poverty and insecurity in the society. It is envisioned that the research findings and recommendations will also provide planning benchmarks for provision of security and improved livelihoods in the slums. The findings will also add to the body of knowledge and could be a source of future reference by other scholars who might need to dwell on similar or related issues. Keywords: Poverty, Slums, Insecurit