NAIROBI, Kenya- Kenya’s growing homelessness crisis cannot be solved by simply putting roofs over people’s heads. It requires a broader national response that confronts poverty, exclusion, poor urban planning and the loss of dignity that often accompanies life on the streets.
That was the central message at the National Conference on the State of Homelessness and Street-Connectedness, where government officials, county representatives, civil society organisations, faith leaders and development partners called for a fundamental shift in how the country understands and responds to homelessness.
Organised by the Undugu Society of Kenya, the conference brought together stakeholders to examine the realities facing people without stable homes and those living and working on the streets, while exploring practical approaches to addressing the structural causes of homelessness.
Opening the conference, Undugu Society of Kenya Board member Fr. Innocent Maganya urged participants to look beyond statistics and confront homelessness through the lenses of justice, dignity and shared humanity.
“Behind every statistic on homelessness is a human story, people seeking belonging, safety and dignity,” he said.
Fr. Maganya challenged society to move beyond indifference, arguing that homelessness and street-connectedness should not be treated as inevitable conditions.
Instead, he said, they are shaped by societal systems, public choices and national priorities that can either deepen exclusion or create pathways towards inclusion.
He also called for a broader understanding of the right to shelter, saying the conversation should move beyond whether people can afford housing to recognising shelter as a matter of human dignity and constitutional responsibility.
The call for a national response was echoed by Undugu Society of Kenya Executive Director Eric Mukoya, who described homelessness as one of the country’s pressing social justice concerns.
Mukoya stressed that homelessness should not be viewed simply as an individual failure or a housing problem, noting that the circumstances that push people onto the streets are often rooted in wider social and economic inequalities.
“Homelessness is not about homes alone; it is about humanity, dignity and belonging. No person should be left without a place to call home,” he said.
He called for people-centred development and comprehensive policies that address the structural causes of homelessness while ensuring that every Kenyan can enjoy the rights and protections guaranteed under the Constitution.
Counties urged to make homelessness a development priority
County governments were also challenged to make homelessness a mainstream development priority rather than leaving the issue largely to civil society organisations.
Representing the Council of Governors, Director of Programmes and Committees Wangalwa Kizito reaffirmed the commitment of county governments to placing homelessness within Kenya’s broader inclusion agenda.
Kizito said counties must move beyond affordable housing initiatives and develop sustainable policies that respond to the multiple factors driving homelessness, protect vulnerable families and restore the dignity of people living on the streets.
Drawing parallels with county-led investments in early childhood development, he argued that counties should collectively take greater responsibility for ensuring that vulnerable people receive the care, protection and opportunities needed to live dignified lives.
PLO Lumumba calls for coordinated national policy
Delivering the keynote address, Prof. PLO Lumumba challenged both the national and county governments to establish a clear policy framework for addressing homelessness and street-connectedness.
He warned that homelessness is a national challenge whose consequences extend far beyond the absence of shelter, exposing vulnerable people and communities to a range of social risks.
Among the concerns he highlighted were increased vulnerability to crime, family instability and early pregnancies, underscoring the need for urgent and coordinated intervention.
Prof. Lumumba called for a collective response involving the national government, all 47 county governments, the private sector, civil society organisations and development partners.
He argued that sustainable solutions would require institutions to move away from fragmented interventions and instead work together around long-term strategies capable of addressing the root causes of homelessness.
Undugu, PLO Lumumba Foundation sign partnership
A key moment at the conference was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Undugu Society of Kenya and The PLO Lumumba Foundation.
The partnership will strengthen collaboration in supporting street-connected children, young people and homeless communities through joint advocacy, partnerships and programmes aimed at restoring dignity, expanding opportunities and creating sustainable pathways out of homelessness.
The agreement also reflects growing recognition that addressing homelessness requires partnerships bringing together civil society, government, private-sector actors and other institutions working towards social justice and inclusion.
Citi Foundation calls for inclusive urban planning
For MaryAnne Mwaura of the Citi Foundation, Kenya’s rapid urbanisation must also be a question of who benefits from that growth.
Speaking at the conference, Mwaura challenged the tendency to measure urban progress through infrastructure, construction and economic expansion while overlooking people increasingly pushed to the margins of growing cities.
She said the Citi Foundation’s experience working on housing security and urban transitions globally had demonstrated the importance of ensuring that vulnerable communities are not displaced or forgotten as cities expand.
A successful city, she argued, should ultimately be judged not only by its economic achievements but also by whether its most vulnerable residents can live with dignity, security and a sense of belonging.
“We believe that securing space for street-connected and homeless communities is not merely a welfare issue; it is a fundamental pillar of economic development and social cohesion,” Mwaura said.
She added that the Citi Foundation was committed to supporting efforts that use evidence and data to inform inclusive urban planning while advancing the right to shelter and identity.
“By investing in evidence-driven data, supporting inclusive urban planning, and championing the right to shelter and identity, we can help build a Kenya where every child, youth, and family can return home with dignity at the end of the day,” she said.
As the conference closed, participants called for a shift in the national conversation, from managing homelessness to addressing and ultimately ending it.
The message emerging from the gathering was that homelessness is not an inevitable feature of Kenya’s cities.
It is a challenge shaped by policy choices, economic conditions and social systems, and one that can be confronted through political will, coordinated public action and sustained investment in people.
