The Nakuru County Government will host the first-ever Kenya Urban Forum Conference as it seeks to market the region to potential investors.
The county administration has disclosed that it will use the conference, running under the theme “Strategic Pathways to Inclusive and Sustainable Urbanization in Kenya,” to position Nakuru County as an investor’s paradise.
Cabinet Secretary for Public Works, Housing, and Urban Development Zachariah Mwangi Njeru said key thematic subjects that participants will deliberate on include urban infrastructure and services, urban planning and management, urban resilience, climate change and the environment, urban governance and management, and the land question.
Speaking in Nakuru during a press briefing after inspecting the venue’s conference at the Lake Naivasha resort, Njeru observed that both the United Nations (UN) and African Union (AU) recognize that African towns and cities will host more people than the continent’s rural areas in the next two decades, bringing into sharp focus the level of preparedness of the urban centres to provide for the large populations.
“These populations will need food, shelter, security, healthy environments to live in, an efficient transportation system, reliable, cost-effective, and clean energy, social amenities, and employment opportunities,” observed the Cabinet Secretary.
Njeru, who was flanked by Nakuru County Executive Committee Member in Charge of Lands, Physical Planning, Housing, and Urban Development John Kihagi, said the forthcoming summit is an important opportunity for county and national government leaders and policymakers to reflect on Kenya’s preparedness to meet the challenge of rapid urbanization.
The Kenya Urban Forum Conference will be held from Wednesday, June 14 to Friday, June 16. The development comes at a time when Nakuru is witnessing major infrastructural and economic transformations as Governor Susan Kihika continues with her county reform agenda.
Over 5,000 delegates have confirmed that they will attend, with organizers of the conference indicating that though the event will be in person, they will also consider a hybrid format for virtual attendees to discuss substantive matters that will arise.
Njeru indicated that the conference, organized with support from the State Department for Housing and Urban Development, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), and the World Bank, aims at promoting urbanization as a positive transformative force for people and communities and reducing inequality, discrimination, and poverty.
The Cabinet Secretary stated that the event will present a forum for policymakers, various professionals, and political leaders to measure Kenya’s progress towards the UN 2030 Agenda and the AU Agenda 2063, which call for urgent reflections on sustainable urbanization in Africa.
“The Kenya’s Urban Forum Conference reflects the shift in Kenya to devolve services and developmental focus away from capital cities. We expect high-level leadership dialogues that speak to the strengthening of sustainable development in urban areas because, by getting it right, urbanization offers a chance to bring about socio-economic benefits that can spur development, eradicate poverty, and protect the environment,” the CS said.
Also present were Chief Officer Urban Development and Housing Kamau Kuria, his Tourism counterpart Ms Rosemary Kimani, City Manager Mr Gitau Thabanja and Chief Officer Disaster Management Ms Joyce Ncece.
Speaking separately, Governor Kihika said the county was also keen to tap into investments by the national government to attract investors.
“We will use the conference to showcase Nakuru as an investment destination of choice,” stated Ms Kihika.
She indicated that the focus should be on building water systems, waste management initiatives, transportation, power suppliers, and efficient service delivery
“As Kenya’s population rises, we need to develop modern, sustainable cities to accommodate everyone. We need a modern, intelligent urban design that generates secure, affordable, and resilient communities with green and culturally inspiring living conditions for us to survive and prosper,” added Ms Kihika.
Secretary of Urban and Metropolitan Development, State Department for Housing and Urban Development Engineer Benjamin Njenga, who is heading the Secretariat preparing for the conference, noted that Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG 11) is all about making cities and human settlements more inclusive and self-sufficient.
It is projected that 68 per cent of the world’s population will be living in urban areas by 2050. Cities are now overwhelmed with people, pollution, and poverty, leading to a decrease in the quality of life.
Engineer Njenga observed that there has never been a time when Sustainable Urban Development (SUD) has een more necessary than today.
He stated “Sustainable development is defined as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.
He explained that the National Urban Development Policy envisions secure, well governed, competitive, and sustainable urban areas that contribute to the broader national development goals.
Engineer Njenga added that urban managers should advocate good governance structures, social inclusion, spatial development, urban prosperity, and environmentally sustainable cities. He added that they need to ensure cities and towns are safe, inclusive, sustainable, and resilient, and they should move from planning theory to policy implementation.
Kenya’s Urban Forum Conference is modelled on the World Urban Forum (WUF), which is the world’s largest urban development event, the first of which was launched under the UN Human Settlements Program in 2001 to discuss ways to address the challenges of accelerated urbanization and its impact on communities’ cities, economies, climate change, and policies.
The WUF Forum is held every two years with the participation of representatives of states, the private sector, regional and international financial institutions, and civil society. Egypt has announced that it will host the 12th World Urban Forum in 2024.
By Esther Mwangi and Merceline Khaemba
