Social Media and Information for Poverty Alleviation in Rhonda Slums, Nakuru County Kenya

Abstract

Urban poverty in Kenya has been associated with migration of rural poor to urban areas in search of better living standards. In Nakuru, these immigrants end up in Rhonda slums where they experience high poverty levels. Poverty here has been partly linked with lack of access to information. This study sought to investigate how social media can improve access to information that can alleviate poverty in Rhonda slums. The specific objectives of the study were to; examine the information needs of Rhonda slums dwellers, establish their available social media information sources, examine the hindrances to access of information using social media and suggest possible solutions. Data was collected in Rhonda slums, Nakuru from eighty (80) community members, five (5) administrative leaders and thirteen (13) service providers. Interview schedule was used to collect data. Qualitative and quantitative techniques were used to collect data which was consequently analyzed thematically. The findings of the study were that Rhonda community dwellers can alleviate poverty if social media can be used to access information that can enable them perfect the economic activities they engage in. In conclusion, Rhonda slums dwellers do not access timely and relevant information related to their day to day activities due to lack of awareness and inadequate information on social media that can alleviate. This study recommends that information workers should sensitize the community on how to use the available social media to access poverty alleviation information in order to improve their livelihood.

Key words: Information, Slums dwellers, Social media, Poverty alleviation