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The Kenyan government in collaboration with county governments and international partners to enhance the development of the municipalities, towns and cities, announced President William Ruto. The President said the government is committed to the expansion of essential infrastructure to serve rapidly growing urban populations and to decongest Nairobi and other major towns.
Ruto said the development focus will be on a comprehensive expansion of housing, water, energy, transport, sanitation, and other infrastructure to drive sustainable and inclusive growth in urban areas. He explained that this would create alternative settlements in smaller towns and municipalities, easing pressure on major towns. Kenya’s under-urbanisation presents an opportunity to establish a solid foundation for urban development, improving economic opportunities and living conditions for millions of its citizens. President Ruto pointed out that urbanisation will spur rapid economic growth at the grassroots in line with the Bottom Up Economic Transformation Agenda. Well-managed urbanisation is integral to Kenya’s economic development agenda, aligning with Vision 2030 and the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals.
Speaking during the launch of the Second Kenya Urban Support Programme (KUSP ll) at State House Nairobi on Tuesday, the President said urbanisation will curb land fragmentation. Towns and cities will give an opportunity to remove the pressure on agricultural land by settling people in urban centres so that we can free agricultural land for food production, he said.
President Ruto urged the various stakeholders to utilise the USD350 million (KSh46.5 billion) funding responsibly and optimise it for maximum benefit. He also asked county governments to allocate a greater portion of their revenues to urban development initiatives. The President said the National Government will establish the National Urban Development Fund to anchor the urban development agenda in a sustainable framework. Additionally, he said the government is implementing the affordable housing programme to complement the Kenya Urban Support Programme and other initiatives.
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The programme’s alignment with the affordable housing strategic pillar presents a unique opportunity to invest in urban infrastructure that supports affordable housing objectives and thus delivers holistic, sustainable and inclusive urban development, he said. The government is also investing in county aggregation and industrial parks to create alternative centres for value addition, agro-processing and manufacturing.
