In Summary
In August 2014, the World Economic Forum published a detailed study, the Competitiveness of Cities Report.
Its
authors reviewed the ideas that have been implemented in a variety of
successful and less successful cities and distilled them into principles
for city managers and leaders to consider. These principles derive from
a number of case studies.
City
planners for Nairobi and those with views about development at county
level ought to bear its lessons in mind because some of its findings
point to early identification that is necessary to reduce the danger of
waste of resources that will result from some of the huge works that
both national and county government are considering in Kenya today.
The
first lesson that is clear is that the County of Nairobi will be
required to improve its service quality levels. Water quality, transport
infrastructure and management of refuse in Nairobi depend greatly on
location.
Creating
sophisticated traffic management systems and digitizing records at the
county offices is good, but the main idea is that the county must
concentrate on the basics.
This
is especially difficult for elected leaders who think their electoral
mandate is to deliver shiny buildings and large highways. All that does
not matter if water does not flow to ensure that the diseases that come
from poor sanitation infrastructure are prevented.
In
spite of the advantage that comes from the highest population density
in Kenya, Nairobi has not taken advantage of its scale to build
cost-effective, clean water supplies and drainage systems for the city.
The
result of this is a disparity in quality of water supplies and drainage
and a threat to public health, with strong conspiracy theories stating
that a number of city politicians, directors and their partners are
direct controllers of trade in potable water within low-income
neighbourhoods.
COMPETITON BETWEEN COUNTIES
The
city is losing income while being unable to provide standard services
for its residents. That is not the path to city greatness.
There
is no doubt that Nairobi’s dominance in the economic landscape in Kenya
has been driven by the centralization of the government of Kenya.
Devolution means that the partiality from the national government to one
urban area is going to be less salient and the competition between
counties more important for success.
A
running theme of the Competitiveness of Cities report is that cities
that seek to sustain their success must be areas of new business
activity. The competitive city, in essence, must facilitate formation of
new business and provide services that sustain them.
That
the leadership and bureaucrats working for Nairobi are unable to get
the pricing and collection of city parking right leads to the suspicion
that its policy development is not well considered and competently
executed.
LOW URBAN DENSITY
Data
from the Statistical Abstract 2013 shows that approximately 60 per cent
of individual Kenyans with a monthly income of Sh60000 and above are
based in Nairobi, yet this comparatively affluent group would struggle
to afford the mortgages for a city flat that would require 16 years of
income.
The
result of this is the spread of the city outside the county borders,
towards neighbouring counties where land is cheaper and more abundant.
Growth
and sustenance of cities requires high urban density that is undermined
by the spread away from the epicentre of Nairobi. If this horizontal
growth continues, it will be even more difficult for city to provide
cost-effective services.
The
Constitution of Kenya has neatly attempted to divide role between the
county and national governments. Economic diplomacy is largely in the
domain of the national government, but one which the leadership of
Nairobi should watch keenly.
Business
process regulation is important at the city level because the national
government determines policies such as profit taxation, immigration and
registration of businesses.
IRRATIONAL RESTRICTIONS
A
more restrictive immigration policy may not concern counties with a
lower level of urbanization but should greatly be watched by the
leadership of Nairobi and Mombasa, primarily because these cities are
the entry points for foreigners and other investors into the country.
Any irrational restriction to immigration and foreign participation in business in Kenya harms the city disproportionately.
Nairobi
County should conduct an audit of national laws and policies in order
to determine whether these are consistent with the interest of urban
residents who are not as dependent on agriculture and other sectors.
Despite
the distinct roles anticipated by the Constitution, the governor of
Nairobi must understand that the city needs its own unit for economic
policy and investment, both foreign and local.
Kwame
Owino is the chief executive officer of the Institute of Economic
Affairs (IEA-Kenya), a public policy think tank based in Nairobi.
Twitter: @IEAKwame
No comments :
Post a Comment