Kolfe Urban Settlement

The Kolfe Sefer is situated in the western part of Addis Ababa, falling within the larger administrative area of the Kolfe Keranyo sub-city, which ranks as the second largest sub-city in Addis Ababa. According to the City Administration, it is the most populous sub-city, housing approximately 16% of the city's residents.[1]

Two significant factors have influenced the development of the Kolfe sefer since the establishment of Addis Ababa in 1886. The first factor is its strategic location as a border region, serving as a critical crossroads between Addis Ababa and the western regions of Ethiopia. The primary road (Jimma-Road) connection starts from Kolfe, serving as one of the city's five traditional gateways. This road facilitates the influx of migrating populations in Kolfe.

The second factor pertains to zoning decisions made during the Italian presence from 1935 to 1941. The western part of Addis Ababa was designated as a ‘native quarter’, resulting in the forced resettlement of residents from other parts of the city to Kolfe. This policy encouraged the growth of informal settlements in Kolfe and its neighbouring sefers, ultimately making informal commerce a central activity. Kolfe sub-city currently has the highest number of squatter settlements in comparison to other sefers in Addis Ababa and serves as a prominent trading hub for second-hand clothing.[2]

Kolfe Kuteba Betoch, an Eight-hectare resettlement housing neighbourhood located at the heart of Kolfe, was constructed by the communist government under the Addis Ababa Municipality in the 1980s. Although it is not supported by literature, residents believe that Muammar Gaddafi funded it during his close relationship with Mengistu Hailemariam, the President of Ethiopia during the communist era (1974-1991). Kolfe Kuteba Betoch provides housing for 363 households in three different housing typologies. More than 90% of these housing units are owned by the Federal Housing Corporation (FHC) and managed by the Kebele, while the remaining units are privately owned.[3]

[1] Addis Ababa City Administration Integrated Land Information Center, “Addis Ababa City Atlas” (Addis Ababa City Administration Integrated Land Information Center, 2015).

[2] Bethlehem Tekola et al., “Kolfe Area, Addis Ababa,” ed. Feleke Tadele, Yisak Tafere, and Tom Lavers, Ethiopian Urban Studies, 1996, https://www.welldev.org.uk/research/methods-toobox/cp-countries/ethiopia/Kolfe%20community%20profile.pdf.

[3] Data sourced from the Federal Housing Corporation, 2019