The County Government of Nyeri through the Department of Lands, Physical Planning and Urban Development in collaboration with the South Consulting Africa Limited Consultant team held a validation meeting for the situational analysis report meant for the development of the Nyeri County Slum Upgrading and Prevention Strategies.
The Consultant was tasked to prepare Nyeri County Specific Slum Upgrading and Prevention Strategies under the Kenya Informal Settlement Improvement Program II (KISIP II)- Component III which seeks to support institutional and policy development at national and county levels.
During the meeting, the Consultant spearheaded by Dr. Mbathi Musyimi tabled the findings to the County Project Coordination Team (CPCT) led by the CECM Lands Ndirangu Gachunia, representatives from informal settlements and State Department of Housing among other stakeholders and thereafter had a plenary session on intervention for upgrading and slum prevention.
The report analyses the situational context of informal settlements and slums in Nyeri County which will in turn inform development of the Nyeri County Slum Upgrading and Prevention Strategy.
The objectives of the report were to:
1. Analyse the policy and legal framework for slum upgrading and prevention (National and County) and implications for development of the Nyeri County Slum Upgrading and Prevention Strategy.
2. Assess the state of basic services and the challenges that residents face in accessing basic services in the slums and informal settlements the county
3. Review the interests of various stakeholders and identify the means of improving ownership, local adaptability, and buy-in to effectively implement the strategy.
4. Identify the relevant resources, guidelines, and capacity-building measures to support implementation.
Informal settlements and slums in Nyeri have historical origins that date back to the colonial period. Some of the settlements were established as colonial villages for settlements but the owners had no titles deeds resulting to insecure land rights. The numbers of settlements and inhabitants continued to grow over time with increased urbanization, poverty and population growth making the planning for basic services challenging thus the need to develop strategies for slum upgrading and prevention for the county.
There are 162 number of settlements across the eight sub-counties including colonial villages generally characterized as informal settlements and slums. The proposed strategy seeks to improve the state in the informal settlements while fostering sustainable growth.
The situational analysis presented the context in these areas in order to improve understanding of the social-economic, demographic and infrastructure context on which the strategy will be based.
Others present were: Rware MCA Hon. Simon Mbogo, Dr. Felix Mutua – NPCT, Lands CO Fredrick Maina, Director Physical planning/KISIP II Coordinator Beatrice Koech, County Director Lands & Survey Daniel Mukiri, Municipal Manager Perister Kigwa, Representatives from:
South Consulting Africa Ltd; National government institutions among others.