Professionals and researchers must not only study cities from afar, but also experience their complexities first-hand. As part of the Urban Management and Development (UMD) Master’s programme, students have the opportunity to participate in fieldwork during their thesis that bridges theory with practice. In this blog, UMD student Dakota shares his reflection on conducting his thesis research in Mathare, one of Nairobi’s largest informal settlements.
The Nairobi thesis project
Writing a Master’s thesis is challenging enough, but doing so in a place like Mathare, one of Africa's largest informal settlements, was an experience that reshaped how I see economics, society, the world, and even myself.
When I first enrolled in the UMD programme in September, I was sure that my thesis would follow a quantitative path, given my background in economics and experience in the financial sector. I even planned to experiment with AI methodologies, which I assumed would become the focal point of my resume. However, the Nairobi thesis project began to whisper into my ear little by little, until I was pulled towards it altogether.
Informal entrepreneurship and its role in slum upgrading
Rather than building on my existing skill set, I felt compelled to push myself away from comfort and certainty into uncharted, complex terrain that would force me to develop new skills and strategies. Common sense seemed to have abandoned me, replaced by a craving for new adventures and challenges.
Since every friend and family member I consulted surprisingly confirmed this direction, I committed to the Nairobi Thesis Atelier in early February. I chose to focus on informal entrepreneurship and its role in slum upgrading, as entrepreneurship has always resonated with me. It felt like the most natural bridge between my existing skills and a meaningful form of impact. The decision was a deliberate step outside of my comfort zone into a vibrant, dynamic community whose challenges and ingenuity I wanted to understand beyond theory and models.
Still, I recall several moments in the weeks leading up to my departure when I was convinced I had made a mistake. Questions like “Who am I to place myself in the middle of something so dire and complex?”, “Why do I think I can be taken seriously here or do something that matters?” and “What on earth am I doing?!” often came to mind.
First days and settling in
Arriving in Nairobi was a shock to my entire system. On the first day, after barely settling in, my colleagues and I volunteered at a porridge feeding event for children in Mathare experiencing food insecurity. The event was organised by the Ghetto Foundation, which would go on to become my most trusted local partner. It was an emotional wake-up call that set the tone for the rest of the research process. As we drove through Juja Road towards Mathare, I struggled to process the things I was seeing outside the window: the trash, the density, the pace of life. All of it challenged my comfortable and sheltered worldview. The rawness of the place hit me deep. When I took my first step out of the Uber, I felt like an unexpected firework, drawing glances and concern from every direction.
A few minutes into this experience, however, the children's smiles as they eagerly greeted us broke through the discomfort. Their laughter and games reminded me that humanity and hope still persist here, even in the harshest of conditions. That day, walking through the narrow alleys and crowded street stalls, watching goats and chickens roam freely amidst homes built from sheet metal and scraps, I realised that Mathare was both the slum you read about, heavy with hardship, and a living, breathing community with its own beautiful rhythms and resilience.
This immersion shaped the entire month of data collection. I took it upon myself to spend as much time as possible in Mathare and among its residents to truly connect with the situation, and seemingly, to prove to the residents that I’m not just another Western scholar coming to observe their unfortunate circumstances. Most days, I spent over eight hours in the field, navigating and building relationships. Of course, there was still plenty of downtime for me and my colleagues to enjoy all that Nairobi has to offer. We went on a safari in Nairobi National Park, explored markets and restaurants, and even took a weekend getaway in Mombasa to enjoy the beautiful beaches and ocean.
Lived realities
Listening was my most important tool throughout my time in Nairobi. Over the course of 25 in-depth interviews with community members, CBOs, NGOs, and political actors, I was pushed to go beyond academic literature and official discourse to uncover the lived realities. Questions about the lack of sufficient housing and infrastructure revealed the deeper issue at hand: Mathare was largely suffering from years of distrust and even hostility between institutions and the people. During this process, every last interview had moments of raw emotion, feelings of victimisation and neglect, and flat-out despair. These experiences both challenged and sharpened my sense of empathy and objectivity. For the first time, I began to see myself as a true researcher.
One conversation, in particular, has stayed with me. I was speaking to the owner of a small restaurant that served chapati, beans, and tea, all from a structure that was about the size of a standard storage unit. She explained that she chose to do this because there is no work, and this is a way that she can at least make sure there is food for her children, even on days when she makes no money.
When asked about her perception of slum upgrading, she didn’t ask for better housing or roads; she simply asked for streetlights so she could keep the restaurant open later and earn more money. The restaurant also doubled as her home, where her children slept alongside her each night. Throughout the journey, I felt my assumptions dismantled and my academic skills tested in new ways. I developed new abilities that textbooks don’t teach, such as cultural humility, emotional resilience, and bulldozing through uncertainty. Because of this, I know these experiences and new tools will shape me far beyond my career.
Making an impact in Mathare
Beyond the research, I have decided to volunteer with the Ghetto Foundation on some projects that can hopefully make a bigger impact. I am working with a county planning official to develop a template for community proposed upgrading, helping revise and copyright an entrepreneurship and vocational skills training course into a web app for widespread distribution in Mathare, and helping to organise a Co-Op among youth in Mathare to access procurement work opportunities in Nairobi.
If you would like to support their work, I invite you to consider donating to their GoFundMe campaign, which aims to build a community centre in Mathare. This centre will serve as a shared space for planning, training, and disaster response. With all of this said, I would stress for anyone considering similar paths: embrace discomfort whenever possible. It’s a rare opportunity, and it's often where the most profound learning happens.
To wrap things up, because I love each of them dearly and this experience would not have been the same without them, I have asked each of my colleagues to give a short comment on their experience as well. Thanks for reading about our time in Nairobi!
Reflections from the experience
