The population growth of peri-urban villages around Dar es Salaam City is
largely the result of heavy in-migration from other regions in the country,
natural increase and counter-urbanization from the centre of the city due to
intensive urban renewal. Most of the people were born in other regions of the
country and originate all over the country irrespective of the level of
development of the regions. The main factors that influenced out-migration
include economic conditions, drought and family conflicts. Intensive
resettlement in these peri-urban villages occurred in the 1990–1999 and
between 2000–2007 because of intensive urban renewal in the major business
areas of the City, and voluntary out-migration of rich households with a strong
desire of having big plots of land for resettlement. The major occupation of
households in these villages is informal trade, and many are poor households.
The most common materials used for shelter are corrugated iron sheets,
concrete brocks and cement for the floor. Nonetheless, poor households still
construct their houses by using poles and mud. Despite health reforms, many
households suffer numerous health problems like the lack of medicine and also
suffer from infectious diseases like malaria, and degenerative diseases like
cancer. There are households that use electricity for lighting, but use firewood
and charcoal for cooking leading to heavy deforestation in neighbouring
regions. Most households buy water from neighbours or water vendors and use
pit latrines due to lack of piped water. Solid waste disposal is haphazardly
thrown near the households and elsewhere.