The National Government has committed to create a framework to establish, and operationalise of the National Urban Development Fund as provided for in the National Urban Development Policy in collaboration with the Council of Governors.
This came out clearly on the last day of the First Edition of the Kenya Urban Forum 2023 in Naivasha that brought together Government officials from the Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development, the Council of Governors, the World Bank, UN-Habitat, Kenya Institute of Planners, National Land Commission, among other partners.
The Forum under the theme “The Future is Urban Strategic Pathways to Inclusive and Sustainable Urbanization in Kenya was closed by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua after two days of deliberations.
It highlighted the need for more emphasis on urban sector enabling Legislations, Policies, and Global urbanization frameworks including the Resolutions of the 2nd United Nations Habitat Assembly, the New Urban Agenda, and the SDG11 Indicators to anchor the urbanization discourse.
In the resolutions, the National and County Governments in partnership with urban sector stakeholders was tasked to review and harmonize the urban sector Legislations among them the County Government Act 2012, the Physical and Land Use Planning Act 2019, the Urban Areas and Cities Act 2011 (amended in 2019) to guide urban planning and development.
Housing PS Charles Hinga who read the resolutions said, “The National Government in collaboration with the County Governments, and other urban sector stakeholders shall review the Sessional Paper No. 1 of 2016 on the National Urban Development Policy to align to existing urbanization dynamics and realities.”
At the same time, County Governments with the support of National Government and urban sector stakeholders shall establish mechanisms to leverage own-source revenue potentials as identified in the study by the Commission on Revenue Allocation including adoption of innovative funding mechanisms such as the Land Value Capture
PS Hinga said, the National and County governments shall strengthen and expand cooperation and multilevel climate action in order to enhance inclusion of local-level contributions in new and updated nationally determined contributions and support the implementation of nationally determined contributions at the local level.
The forum further resolved that the National and County Governments shall collaborate in the provision of adequate housing for all including the integration of urban social rental housing into the Affordable Housing Program.
And in need for a harmonized approach to urban land management, all public land shall be inventorized, planned, surveyed, and titled for land banking to support public purpose developments and investments.
The PS said as the conveners of they will take responsibility to ensure the 13 resolutions are achieved adding Kenya can’t run away from the problems facing the urban poor across the Country.
