Nakuru on the path to a ‘Just City’

The County Government of Nakuru and Friedrich –Elbert –Stiftung have signed a 2050 partnership memorandum aimed at putting  Nakuru on the path to a ‘Just City’.

The arrangement mooted under the Urban Collective Design (U-CODE) and City Vision 2050 seeks to make the country`s fourth city conducive for business and living for all in the face of global crises like climate change and urban overpopulation.

Speaking in Nakuru at the signing of the memorandum dubbed A Just City, Nakuru Deputy Governor David Kones representing Governor Susan Kihika, said the idea is to incorporate dwellers of informal settlements in critical decision-making exercises that will ensure expanded access to clean water, safe working spaces like markets and transport infrastructure in the City.

Kones said Molo, Gilgil and Naivasha Municipalities will benefit from the partnership that also seeks to ensure participatory management of solid waste through the County government`s ambitious campaign to reduce, reuse and recycle waste.

He pointed out the urban planning plank of the memorandum saying it is significant in redesigning for rebuilding urban areas in Nakuru County with a view of creating more space for business and conducive areas of residence for citizens of the municipalities.

The Deputy Governor added that proper planning will pave the way for the region`s government and partners to construct at least 3,000 low-cost houses in the municipalities and to fully complement them with social amenities in an effort to improve the quality of life among residents.

The housing and water masterplans enshrined in the partnership, he anticipates, will help to decongest Nakuru city and improve sanitation in the City and municipalities. He added that the partnership promises gainful employment opportunities for low-income households, youth, women, and people with disabilities.

Kones argued that emerging Cities need to embrace inclusivity as a pillar of growth saying partnerships with all users and dwellers of the cities are key in ensuring dignified, equitable and meaningful use of public spaces and resources for cohesive growth.

“We are committed to the new urban agenda principle of leaving no one behind and have the ambition to have an equitable and just development that carries the aspirations of all,” said the Deputy Governor.

On his part, Friedrich –Elbert –Stiftung Kenya Director Bastian Schulz observed that approaches to modern-day urban planning ought to improve the living standards of the urban poor while encouraging them to be active participants in making living and working spaces clean and safe for all.

“In most cases, the critical opinions of the urban poor are ignored in decision-making at the table of urban development. More often than not, the urban poor is not accorded a seat at the table. This memorandum will put them at the heart of decision-making for a just “City, Schulz observed.

The Country Director said besides ensuring the safety and hygiene of Nakuru city, the initiative aims to spur people from Bondeni, Kaptembwa and Kivumbini slums-the largest slums in Nakuru City- into waste-based income-generating activities in the bid to alleviate poverty among vulnerable households.

Research by Friedrich –Elbert –Stiftung Kenya indicates that the number of people living in Africa`s cities will double in the next 25 years, straining available public resources.

It means that central and County Governments have to anticipate populous cities and immediately embark on laying sound coping strategies to avert an imminent crisis.

The research projects half of the Kenyan population to live in cities by the year 2040.

Census data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) indicates that 400,000 people live in Nakuru City today.

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