Frequently Asked Questions

KISIP stands for Kenya Informal Settlements Improvement Project.

KISIP is a Government project whose main objective is to improve the living conditions of people in selected informal settlements.

The project commenced in 2011 as a project under the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development. It was initially a five-year project. However, there were project extensions and phase 1 officially closed in December, 2020. Due to the major strides realized, the Government got financing to implement a second phase of the project, referred to as the Second Kenya Informal Settlements Improvement Project (KISIP 2). The second phase becomes effective in 2021 and is expected to close in 2026.

KISIP is financed by the Government of Kenya (GOK) and the International Development Association (IDA). IDA is providing US$ 150Million and GoK will provide counter-part funding of US$15Million.

KISIP interventions will be implemented thirty-three (33) counties that have settlements that met the selection criteria. These are;

• Mombasa
• Kwale
• Kilifi
• Tana River
• Lamu
• Taita Taveta
• Wajir
• Meru
• Tharaka Nithi
• Kitui
• Machakos
• Makueni
• Nyandarua
• Nyeri
• Kirinyaga
• Kiambu
• Turkana
• West Pokot
• Trans Nzoia
• Uasin Gishu
• Elgeyo Marakwet
• Nandi
• Baringo
• Nakuru
• Kajiado
• Kakamega
• Bungoma
• Siaya
• Kisumu
• Homa Bay
• Migori
• Nyamira
• Nairobi

KISIP2 participation is voluntary and open to all 47 counties that meet county readiness and settlement eligibility requirements. Counties submit informal settlements for assessment against criteria such as land ownership and legal status, community readiness (including women's participation), population density, settlement size, proximity to urban centres, housing characteristics, and the potential for upgrading with minimal displacement. For infrastructure upgrading, settlements must also have approved land regularization and survey plans, completed technical designs and safeguard documents, access to nearby trunk infrastructure, climate-resilient designs, a county operation and maintenance (O&M) plan, and, where applicable, well-maintained KISIP1 infrastructure.

KISIP 2 is being implemented at both National and County Levels.

National Level: Responsible for overall implementation of the project. The following implementation units have been established;

• Project Steering Committee
• National Project Coordination Team (NPCT)

County Level: Responsible for the day-to-day coordination of county level Project activities through the County Project Coordination Team (CPCT). CPCTs have been established in all the 33 participating counties.

The Council of Governors – Linking the two levels of Government

Settlement Level: Settlement Executive Committees (SEC) and Grievance Redress Committee (GRC).

KISIP 2 is projected to benefit 1,700,000 people from enhanced security of tenure (500,000) and 1,200,000 will be people provided with improved urban living conditions.

The project objective will be achieved through four interventions/ components namely;

1. Component 1: Integrated settlement upgrading, which has two subcomponents namely,
   • Sub-Component 1.1: Land Tenure Regularization
   • Sub-Component 1.2: Infrastructure Upgrading
2. Component 2: Socio-economic inclusion planning
3. Component 3: Institutional capacity development for slum upgrading
4. Component 4: Program management and coordination