Challenges and Livelihood Strategies of Urban Squatters in the Capital of Ethiopia-Addis Ababa: With Particular Reference to Bole Sub-City
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2020-11
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The study was carried out in the Bole sub city of Addis Ababa-Capital of Ethiopia, focusing on the life of squatter settlers. The central aim was to assess their challenges and livelihood strategies of the people. The research employed purely qualitative approach by using observation, in-depth interviews with squatter settlers and key-informants interview as methods for producing data. The finding indicated that people in the squatter settlements of the study area face several challenges as a result of where they live and who they are. Being unauthorized resident is found to be the main challenge for squatters because it led them to feel fear and uncertainties about whether or not and when to be evicted and loss of properties as well as it results them to encounter marginalization from basic services and infrastructures/utilities. Squatters in the study site also have environmental problems as living in high proximity to hazardous places which endangers their life. They live alongside polluted river (smelling dirty running water) and in most of the places topography of settlements is sloppy and near hillsides that floods and landslides could get them badly during rainy seasons. On the other hand, squatter settlers have social ties designed to support each other to make a living and influence external threats including the government. Bonds are strong within the relatives/kin and with neighbors based on duration of stay in the dwelling, while ties of the rich squatters with government bodies/officials are found stronger. The prevalent feeling was that major inhabitants of the residents are low-income households who involve in informal economic activities and daily labor as source of income for living. Those low status households are more defenseless and suffer from several challenges of the squatter settlements. Squatters are also professionals and skilled people who work in governmental and non-governmental or private organizations and self-employed who were forced by the persistent lack of housing in the city. Another segment of the squatters is people who make a lot of money from informal transactions of plot of lands/houses even working as brokers. Those are less vulnerable though they are considered as the main actors in the expanding squatter settlements. Some unique behaviors identified in squatter settlers include: acting as old dwellers, pretending to be poor, being watchful of their dwelling and feeling of frustration toward visitors or non-residents. Government should carefully differentiate real poor, the most vulnerable squatters from others who are there to make an extra gain by involving in informal transactions of land and the house. The poor should be empowered and protected while others should be identified and barred from exploiting the resources. Prevention approach should be given more weights rather than depressing the settlements, because it is only effective against the poor squatters. In order to avoid the feeling of uncertainties from squatters and lessen path of corruption, the government should have clear and participatory decisions about what will happen to squatter settlements and the settlers
Key words: Squatter settlers; challenges; livelihood strategies; squatter settlement.
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Keywords
Squatter settlers; challenges; livelihood strategies; squatter settlement