The ethical and local resident perspectives of slum tourism in Kenya

Slum   tourism  is  relatively  a  new  phenomenon which  has  generated   a  considerable  body  of reactions  from  many  commentators.   Nevertheless,  there  are  numerous research  gaps within  the   existing   literature, especially   on   slum   residents’   attitudes   towards   its   development,   its  ethical  acceptability  and   the  level  of  benefits  accrued.   This paper examines the  attitudes  of  Kibera  slum  residents  towards  the  development  of  slum  tourism.  Semi-­structured interviews and   questionnaires were   used to   collect   data   from   13   key   informants   and   200 heads   of  households respectively. The  research  findings  reveal that  the  residents  of  Kibera  slums  hold  negative   attitudes   towards   slum   tourism   as evidenced  by  low rating   of   the  positive  impact  statements   (Overall   mean=2.43)   and   higher   rating   of negative   impact   statements   (Overall  mean=3.413).  Both  intrinsic   factors   and   external   factors,  including   the  level   of   benefits   and   social  impacts  of  slum  tourism  were  found  to  shape  the  attitudes  of  the  residents