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The Case of Soweto East, Nairobi Jacqueline Walubwa Achwoka

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The Case of Soweto East, Nairobi Jacqueline Walubwa Achwoka Recognition of Informal Norms in Creating Resilient Water Management Structures : The Case of Soweto East, Nairobi Jacqueline Walubwa Achwoka To cite this version: Jacqueline Walubwa Achwoka. Recognition of Informal Norms in Creating Resilient Water Manage- ment Structures : The Case of Soweto East, Nairobi. Geography. Université Michel de Montaigne - Bordeaux III, 2016. English. NNT : 2016BOR30066. tel-01787660 HAL Id: tel-01787660 https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01787660 Submitted on 7 May 2018 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Université Bordeaux Montaigne École Doctorale Montaigne Humanités (ED 480) Les Afriques dans le Monde (UMR 5115) THÈSE DE DOCTORAT EN GÉOGRAPHIE HUMAINE Recognition of Informal Norms in Creating Resilient Water Management Structures - The Case of Soweto East, Nairobi Présentée et soutenue publiquement le 13 décembre 2016 par Jacqueline Walubwa ACHWOKA Sous la direction de Bernard CALAS et Samuel OWUOR Membres du jury Bernard Calas, Professeur, Université Bordeaux Montaigne Elias Ayiemba, Professeur, Université de Nairobi (Kenya) Samuel Owuor, Professeur, Université de Nairobi (Kenya) Bernard Charlery de La Masselière, Professeur émérite, Université Toulouse - Jean Jaurès Jean-Fabien Steck, Maître de conférences, Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense Dedication To Queenie, To all the love I encountered during this doctorate process & above all to My past shoes, My present shoes & My future shoes 2 | P a g e Acknowledgments This particular adventure has been one fascinating journey that I never fathomed I could undertake, it has taken me to the abyss of despair, self-doubt and to the summit of self- confidence yet it has been the most solitary and enriching endeavour I have ever embarked on. In deed any journey is as important as its destination and the experiences of this ride are what I cherish and carry with me in my sojourn. This particular traverse has helped me discover my true self (which I still don’t know), appreciate my ‘womanity’ as well as dared me to dream of the unimaginable and conquered the picturesque mountains of Africa, till its very roof! Everest here I come. This memorable and tremendous experience would not have been possible without the support and well-meaning intentions of all individuals and institutions who have accompanied me in realizing this thesis. Thus I would like to send my heartfelt appreciation to everyone who has enriched this journey in one way or another. Since it is impossible to mention each and everybody please accept my gratitude for those I do not expressly mention, know you were a valued member of this thesis even though I acknowledge that any errors and omissions are my sole responsibility. First of all ‘tout d’abord’, I would like to thank Sam for making THE phone call that was my life line, which prompted me to pick up the broken pieces of the academic life I was at the verge of throwing and commence on the thesis once again with renewed vigour. You don’t know and will never know what that phone call meant to me. Erokamano! My appreciation goes to my advisors Professor Bernard Calas and Dr. Samuel Owuor who supported me throughout the journey with timely advice and encouragement that all will be well especially when the faltering phantom reared its head. Their style of supervision enabled me acquire autonomy and clear headed thinking in not only my academic life but in all facets of my 3 | P a g e life. Thank you for leading me to the right places to acquire my scholarship, Bernard for the mails you sent for field work grants, sorting my re-inscription, coffees in Pessac; Samuel for all the administrative letters that you had to sign year in year out without showing any sign of exasperation for the famous travel ‘dossier’, for fieldwork grants, for innumerable bureaucracies and the laid back approach that we could party with you at the Irish pub. These are just the tip of the ice berg, there is much more you did that cannot all be mentioned here, but was instrumental in reaching this precious point. I want to thank the French Embassy for giving me a scholarship to pursue my studies, together with field work grants that made my time at the field easier. Also my host country France, I appreciate the welcome that you gave me and experiencing in person the culture that I had been reading in books while imagining what the real deal would be. Carlos, you made my library experience incredible, you inducted me and facilitated my smooth transition to accessing books. LAM for all the administrative support you gave me, the seminars and journées d'étude. For all those unexpected unique friendships and relationships that we developed especially in the field, my reliable point men; Atali and Kisia, my respondents in the field, for those who welcomed my research assistants and I to live with you daily and share the intimacy of your lives, my research assistants; Mercy, Gello and Kevo; this would not have been possible without you. You taught me how to pray, prayed for me and reminded me that there is a higher power; thank you. Lorraine, Patrick, and George, thanks for reading my almost final, I meant final, the real final drafts, I thought I knew English, but hey, you were better masters than I. George for all the livres and films that you literally shoved into my hands and challenged me to grow out of my comfort zone, I appreciate. 4 | P a g e I cannot forget to mention Mr. Panya who always narrated the same ‘river’ story when I needed oiling, which was severally; Cyril for bringing muffins when I had to write up on weekends and discovering that Listerine had other uses, Maelise for bringing me pastries from the Pâtisserie so that I could ‘write well’ and the coffee for organizing my thesis thoughts. You also introduced me to the municipal library..ohh what a treasure! To the incredible DoGES community: I am highly indebted to you. Prof Ayiemba, what would I have done without your constant fatherly encouragement and confidence in me? Prof Khroda, thanks for all the literature you gave me, Dr. Nyandega, ‘a girl finish your thesis’ was your favourite Monday line, Dr.Wambua, for putting me in your cell’s prayers, Dr. Moronge & Dr. Omoke for constant encouragement, Dr. Odingo for prodding me onwards always, Maj(I still don’t have my converter yet!) you sorted my tech issues, did you have to carry an umbrella on a sunny day? just in case it rained! With me running to catch up with you in tao? Joey, you became my homie; for the teas, balades, long conversations, the accueils, the running to the airports, Jean marc for being my designated departures chauffer and tour guide and your lovely family (Natalie and Kim) who made me feel very ‘French’; Cindy, Moustapha, Egidio, Hassan, Flora, Larissa, Myshell, Cheikh, Anna for welcoming me into the doctorants community and making my stay worthwhile in Bordeaux. The soirées,the crémaillère, the fêtes, all amazing. Chorale voix d’afrique; Ohh didn’t I sing my heart out? Music indeed washes the dirt of everyday life from the soul. My Toulouse family; Beatrice, Flo, Clarise, Isa, Inese, Pillar, Anais and Merche thanks for making me feel at home, I doubt if you understood all the ‘Frenglish’ I spoke but you were authentic. I still have that album you guys made and the words to ‘la paix’. I still see your smiles and laughter filled faces. 5 | P a g e For my beautiful shoes, you carried me and took me everywhere I needed to go, you were too faithful, I could not have made it without your comfort and reliability. I want to thank my parents for being supportive all through and giving me encouragement to pursue the higher levels of learning, my siblings for coming through at all times; trips to the airports, patting my back and the ‘when will you finish line?’ never being heard from you guys, that was awesome! Moma this one is for you, you gave me all you had and wept with me when I lost my work, you have been my unwavering fortress, I cannot thank you enough, please accept my asante! You also learnt how to use ‘Viber’ and ‘Whatsapp’ to communicate while I was away, was that why you used to call at 3:00 a.m. to find out what time it was in France? Above all I thank the Divine for giving me life, serenity and wisdom to have accomplished this far. 6 | P a g e SUMMARISED TABLE OF CONTENTS GENERAL INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 10 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY ................................................................................... 29 1.SPACE AND SOCIETY ....................................................................................................................... 64 1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 65 1.2 Nairobi at a glance .................................................................................................................................. 68 1.3 Urban planning policies affecting
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