President William Ruto has announced that the government is collaborating with county governments and international partners to bolster the development of municipalities, towns, and cities.
Ruto emphasized the government’s dedication to expanding crucial infrastructure to meet the needs of rapidly expanding urban populations, aiming to alleviate congestion in Nairobi and other major towns.
The President outlined that the development focus will entail a comprehensive expansion of housing, water, energy, transport, sanitation, and other infrastructure to foster sustainable and inclusive growth in urban areas.
He clarified that this approach would facilitate the creation of alternative settlements in smaller towns and municipalities, thus alleviating 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 our citizens,” he said.
President Ruto highlighted that urbanization will drive rapid economic growth at the grassroots level, aligning with the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.
“Well-managed urbanisation is integral to our economic development agenda, aligning with Vision 2030 and the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals,” he added.
During the launch of the Second Kenya Urban Support Programme (KUSP II) at State House Nairobi on Tuesday, the President emphasized that urbanization will also help mitigate land fragmentation.
“Towns and cities will give us 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.
Present at the event were Cabinet Secretaries Alice Wahome (Lands, Housing, and Urban Development), Kithure Kindiki (Interior), and Njuguna Ndung’u (National Treasury), along with Council of Governors chair Ann Waiguru, Governors Johnson Sakaja (Nairobi), Anyang’ Nyong’o (Kisumu), and World Bank Country Director Keith Hansen.
President Ruto urged all stakeholders to responsibly utilize the $350 million (Kes.46.5 billion) funding and optimize its use for maximum benefit. He also called upon county governments to allocate a larger portion of their own revenues to urban development initiatives.
Furthermore, the President announced that the National Government would establish the National Urban Development Fund to sustainably anchor the urban development agenda.
In addition, he highlighted that the government is implementing the affordable housing program to complement the Kenya Urban Support Programme and other initiatives.
“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 wholistic, sustainable and inclusive urban development,” he said.
President Ruto also mentioned that the government is investing in county aggregation and industrial parks to establish alternative centers for value addition, agro-processing, and manufacturing.
Moreover, he stated that the government is developing five new special economic zones outside of Nairobi and Mombasa, in towns such as Sagana, Thika, Naivasha, Nakuru, and Busia.
“We will continue to expand those facilities to make sure that we create real alternatives centres of growth,” he said.
