VOA慢速英语2014 肯尼亚的城镇和城市均迅速发展

 

AS IT IS 2014-09-15 In Kenya, Cities and Towns Are Growing Quickly 肯尼亚的城镇和城市均迅速发展

Kenya’s towns and cities are growing quickly. Experts estimate at least 100,000 people move to the capital Nairobi every year from rural areas of the country. This has caused high demand for good housing. The Ministry¹ of Housing estimates the city needs at least 200,000 new homes or apartments every year. That, they say, would meet the demand from new people and from those who are already in the city but live in poor conditions.

In 2009, the government estimated more than 3 million people lived in Nairobi. It says about two-thirds of them live in places where there is no running water, electricity or methods to remove waste.

Irene Njeri is 22 years old. She lives in one room with her son. She says it is difficult for them to be healthy.

“Like right now it’s raining. We have a lot of, maybe, there (is) poor drainage and then because of the overcrowding, you find that a plot you have only maybe one bathroom and one latrine so you're using all of this. So it's, you find it's like more vulnerable to cholera² or typhoid, malaria³.”

William Wachira blames poor housing on dishonest officials of the department of planning and housing. He says the bathroom in the house where he lives is in poor condition. He shares it with other people who live there. But he says when health inspectors⁴ visit the house, they do not force the owner to fix the problems. He says the inspectors demand an illegal payment, or bribe⁵. If people living in the house do not pay it, he says, the inspectors force them to leave the home.

Tom Odongo is the chief of the city’s urban planning, land and housing department. He admits there is a problem with the way the city inspects houses. But he said that will soon change. He says the city will soon be using its own workers to do the inspections⁶. Now, the city pays private inspectors to do the work.

“(What) we have created in planning compliance⁷ and enforcement directorate is actually what response to this (poor housing inspection). It means that from the previous time we were using the private sector⁸ consultants⁹ to be our agents sometimes for carrying out inspections because of inadequate¹⁰ capacity internally. What now it means is that we will be able to have adequate capacity to, to carry out those inspections ourselves.”

The demand for housing is so high that some homes are quickly -- and poorly -- built. And some developers are demanding high payments from people who need a place to live.

Mr. Odongo said the city is now treating its housing problems seriously and there is now a plan in place to deal with them. He says, in the next 15 years, the city will build enough government-owned houses to meet the demand. And he says the city will improve houses by punishing builders who do not build homes that meet the city’s rules.

“There has been a challenge on enforcement, especially, because of weak legislation which only fine people 100,000 shillings ($1,150) which is very easy for violators to pay. But what we are trying to do now is to change the course by involving people in the process of designing a new vision for development of the city. We are coming up with something that the citizens own. And with ownership then it will be easy for us to navigate¹¹ the process of urban development because people do something that they have themselves designed.”

An African housing conference is to be held in Kenya in October. Government officials, property owners and lenders will talk about the difficulties African nations face in providing good homes for their people.

1 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

2 cholera   

n.霍乱

参考例句：

• The cholera outbreak has been contained.霍乱的发生已被控制住了。
• Cholera spread like wildfire through the camps.霍乱在营地里迅速传播。

3 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

4 inspectors   

n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors. 他们假装成视察员进了学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. 检查员已检查过，通风良好。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 bribe   

n.贿赂；v.向…行贿，买通

参考例句：

• He tried to bribe the policeman not to arrest him.他企图贿赂警察不逮捕他。
• He resolutely refused their bribe.他坚决不接受他们的贿赂。

6 inspections   

n.检查( inspection的名词复数 )；检验；视察；检阅

参考例句：

• Regular inspections are carried out at the prison. 经常有人来视察这座监狱。
• Government inspections ensure a high degree of uniformity in the standard of service. 政府检查确保了在服务标准方面的高度一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 compliance   

n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从

参考例句：

• I was surprised by his compliance with these terms.我对他竟然依从了这些条件而感到吃惊。
• She gave up the idea in compliance with his desire.她顺从他的愿望而放弃自己的主意。

8 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

9 consultants   

顾问( consultant的名词复数 )； 高级顾问医生，会诊医生

参考例句：

• a firm of management consultants 管理咨询公司
• There're many consultants in hospital. 医院里有很多会诊医生。

10 inadequate   

adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
• She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

11 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。