Murumba, R; Kurgat, A & Wandere, D.2026-05-042026-05-042026-05-042523-6725https://repo.pacuniversity.ac.ke/handle/123456789/5575This article examines the lived experiences of citizens living in informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya. The article seeks to highlight the existing tensions between these spaces created for all citizens and the experiences in Mukuru Kayaba informal settlement. This gap between the reality of citizenship and the creation of public trust affects the lived experiences of the informal settlement communities. The exercise of active citizenship crucial for building public trust is bounded by constraints of time, location, jargon and contestations of power in favour of certain individuals. This article seeks to contribute to the study of the lived experiences of the poor in slums in African cities. It is also an exploration of the reasons that impede the sustainability and development of African cities. The implications are that citizenship of the urban poor is subsumed and there is a failure to seek and utilize nuanced understandings of the African city.enArticle