Paper short abstract:

Research done on extrajudicial killings by 'slum' residents in Mathare, Nairobi challenges both the focus and methodologies of mainstream human rights documentation, and critiques structural violence. It also highlights the violent urban logics that produce the city of Nairobi.

Paper long abstract:

Extrajudicial killings by the police have become normalized in the 'slums' of Nairobi, and, as a consequence, they are chronically under-reported and under-investigated. Since 2015 Mathare Social Justice Centre (MSJC) has been engaging in participatory documentation of these executions by the police. This grounded knowledge produced by 'slum' residents becomes not just a register of a human rights violation, but also recognition of their presence and legitimacy in the city even as they are denied the most basic services. Our paper argues that by making extrajudicial killings visible and asserting their right to life in Nairobi, these residents critique the non-grassroots focus of larger civil society organizations, the overly bureaucratic methodology central to human rights documentation, and, more structurally, the grave penalization of poverty in Kenya.Through these actions they highlight the broader urban logics that (violently) produce the city.