The national government and the Nairobi City County government have launched an ambitious plan aimed at transforming the capital into a modern and more functional city.
The initiative, known as “Nairobi Rising,” was presented on Monday, March 9, to the Implementation Committee overseeing the cooperation agreement between the two levels of government. The programme brings together different ministries and county departments to coordinate major projects across the city.
Under the plan, about KSh80 billion will be invested in key sectors such as water and sanitation, roads, markets, security, and environmental management. According to the officials, the initiative aims to act as a catalyst to improve services in the city as they strengthen Nairobi’s position as the capital of Kenya and a vital economic center in the region.
In a presentation by the National Government Coordination Secretariat, the plan aims at transforming Nairobi into a modern, globally competitive city through improved infrastructure, economic opportunities, and urban services.
A substantial portion of the plan targets the improvement of water and sanitation facilities, with over KSh38 billion being set aside for this purpose. This money will be used to improve the expansion of water supply pipelines, sewerage, as well as the upgrading of facilities to serve a population of six million people.
A total of KSh23 billion has been set aside to improve the condition of the city’s roads, as well as ensuring safety on the streets of Nairobi. This includes the improvement of the condition of the city’s roads, construction of bridges, as well as the installation of up to 40,000 street lights, which are all geared to improve safety, as this initiative will also improve security in the city through the Nairobi Metropolitan Policing Service.
Improvement of the city’s informal economy, which includes the modernization of markets as well as trading spaces, to accommodate a population of 300,000 street vendors, while ensuring the security of the informal economy, is also part of the plan.
Improvement of the environment, which includes the cleaning of river corridors, as well as investing in waste-to-energy as well as green infrastructure, is also part of the plan.
The mode of governance will be through a three-tier arrangement: a Joint Steering Committee, an Implementation Committee, and a secretariat within the National Government Coordination Secretariat.
The Joint Steering Committee held its first meeting recently, chaired by the Prime Cabinet Secretary, with a number of cabinet secretaries in charge of various portfolios such as environment, energy, water, and internal security in attendance. The discussion centered on how to harmonize these ministries and review policy papers outlining the plan for transformation.
In the meeting, the ministries were directed to evaluate ongoing projects in Nairobi, determine which ones are already funded while others need more funding, and provide this information for consolidation by the National Treasury.
The next steps in this plan include finalizing sector plans and budgets, after which a unified framework will be presented to President William Ruto.
The cooperation agreement has also faced legal challenges in court, with some petitioners questioning whether the arrangement interferes with functions that are constitutionally assigned to county governments. The cases are currently before the High Court.
Despite the legal questions, the government says it remains committed to working with Nairobi County to push forward projects that will improve services and the overall quality of life in the capital
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