NGPU March 3, 2023

County Government seeks enhanced collaborations with UN-Habitat

Written by Nancy Naholi
A team from UN-Habitat have held discussions with the Nakuru County Government on possible areas of engagement with a view to operationalizing H.E Governor Susan Kihika’s 6-point Urban Agenda in keeping with her Manifesto on the revitalization of urban areas.

The agenda captures Urban Mobility, Urban Waste Management, Blue and Urban Economy, Affordable Housing, Urban Spaces and Urban Data.

Speaking during the meeting the acting County Secretary and Head of Public Service Dr Samuel Mwaura noted that there is a need to relook at the structures of previous engagement instruments with the UN-Habitat with a view to ensure that focal persons are identified with clear terms of reference and timeliness.

He said this would ensure efficiency and effectiveness in rolling out the identified outputs of the agenda programmes. Proper reporting protocols should also be established at the partner organisation and the County government level to smoothen the collaboration arrangements.

On her part, the UN-Habitat team leader Cecilia Anderson lauded the effort the County government has made in coming up with the 6-point Urban Agenda and noted that these would fit in well with the Just City Concept and initiatives that the UN-Habitat is advocating on Urban governance and also on the assessment of the achievements under the Sustainability Development Goals.

She said the UN-Habitat would work closely with Nakuru City to make it a model destination in the region.

The UNHabitat team later toured the recently completed construction of a non-motorized Transport Facility along a section of Kenyatta Avenue and Moi Road, the Revamped Gioto Waste Disposal Site, the City’s Bus Terminus and Railway station.

Attending the meeting were technical officers from the UNHabitat and from the County Government including Chief Officers from Housing and Urban Development Kamau Kuria, Tourism and Culture Rosemary Kimani, Environment Ken Baraza, Roads and Transport Ken Mugo, Resource Mobilisation Pastor Alex Maina, City Manager Mr Gitau Thabanja and Director of Housing Bernard Maruhi.