Social And Economic Constraints Affecting The Welfare Of Households Headed By Children In Mathare Slums, Nairobi City County, Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the social and economic constraints facing households headed by children in Mathare slums Nairobi City County. The specific objectives were: To outline the social, psychological, economic and gender related constraints faced by households headed by children. The study was based in Mathare slums in Nairobi City County. Descriptive research was used in this study with qualitative and quantitative data being collected. The unit of analysis was the social and economic constraints facing households headed by children in Mathare slums in Nairobi City County. The units of observations were the sociological, psychological, economical and gender based constraints facing households headed by children in Mathare slums. The population of the study were the households headed by children in Mathare slums. The target populations were drawn from population of 55 families headed by children in Mathare slums. Multistage sampling procedure was applied in selecting sample size. Children officers and child heads were selected purposively followed by a census of all the 55 registered households headed by children and two children officers. Primary data was collected using questionnaires for child heads and interview guide for key informants like children officers. Secondary data was collected using documentary reviews based on social and economic constraints relating to households headed by children. The pre-test was conducted in Korogocho slum. Reliability and validity tests showed that all the variables were reliable and valid. Two techniques of data analysis were applied; descriptive and inferential statistics. In descriptive statistics, mean and percentages were used with regression and correlation applied in inferential statistics. The analysed data was presented in statistical tables and bar graphs. Based on correlation analysis, three variables namely; social, psychological and economic related challenges were positively significantly correlated to the constraints in household headed by children. Gender related challenges had a negative relationship to constraints in household headed by children. Economical related challenges (EC) had the best correlation of 0.622 which is a strong positive correlation. The implication is that economic support offered to orphaned children greatly enhanced their participation in overcoming orphan hood related trauma and fully participate in enhancing their life. Based on the regression analysis, sociological, psychological and economic related were positively correlated with constraints in households headed by children. The findings imply that economic challenges are the predictor variable that contributes the highest constraints in households headed by children in Mathare slums. Increase in unit by economic challenges, increases a total of 0.441 in constraints in households headed by children, provided other variables remain constant. The study concluded that following the death of the parents, majority of the orphans were taken in by their grandparents, uncles and other siblings soon after the death of the parents. The sociological difficulties faced by children heading families after death of the parents were related to school fees issues, denial of inheritance by relatives and property grabbing by relatives. The constraints experienced by child heads in households headed by children include high risk of neglect, violence and sexual assault, lack of chance to acquire life skills from parents and lack of daily adult care. The recommendations of the study were that attention should be taken by the government and other stakeholders to financially support the orphaned children to ease the economic burden of confronting the reality of orphan hood. State organs and security agents in slums areas need to guard the abuse of orphaned children from physical abuse and sexual exploitation by identifying and supporting them appropriately. An area for further study was that the study on the constraints facing orphaned children should be expanded to other slums in Kenya for comparative bases.