Nyumba Kumi Exhibition At Kuona Trust

‘Nyumba Kumi’ an installation exhibition by Kevo Stero. Kevin is a visual artist based at Maasai Mbili Art Centre located in Kibera. This conceptual exhibition is collaboration between the artist, his colleagues at Maasai Mbili and Kuona Trust.

The ‘Nyumba Kumi’ project is an initiative by the Kenyan government to improve security in the face of increasing insecurity in the country. Under ‘Nyumba Kumi’, landlords are required to establish estate associations to register themselves as well as their tenants. It calls for the vetting of tenants by ensuring an accurate record of what they do for a living so as to establish that they are not criminals or linked to terrorist activities.

The artist explores this initiative from the perspective of the slum dwellers of Kibera.  As a resident of Kibera, Kevin has conducted widespread research in the area to gather the thoughts and reactions to the ‘Nyumba Kumi’ exercise. Some of the questions he chose to interrogate include: Does the ‘Nyumba Kumi’ apply in Kibera? How is it implemented there? What is the impact if any on the residents? What is the impact on you? Is it bound to succeed or fail?

His intention is to provoke the audience to think deeper into their own perception of the project and its impact. This exhibition challenges the passive nature of society when faced with various socio-economic and political challenges. Kevin hopes to trigger a more proactive approach to the analysis of situations and deeper thought into the solutions provided for the challenges by the leadership/government of the day.

The ‘Nyumba Kumi’ exhibition will run from 18th-29th September, 9am-5m daily at Kuona Trust. There is no cover charge.