A view of Nairobi skyline. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU
By NEVILLE OTUKI, notuki@ke.nationmedia.com
In Summary
- The rankings offer a sneak preview of a country’s level of development and are used as a tool to guide companies setting shop in new countries and paying expatriates.
- Nairobi dropped from position 120 last year after improving two places from position 122 in 2014 and 125 in 2011 — when the EIU survey was first launched.
Nairobi’s ranking in a global survey of living
conditions has dropped to the lowest position due to its slower pace of
development than other cities.
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) survey, which was
released yesterday, ranks Kenya’s capital at position 125 in the list of
140 cities that are pleasant to live in from 120 last year
The EIU survey ranks cities based on categories
such as healthcare, education, infrastructure, stability alongside
culture and environment — the only category in which Nairobi has been
performing well.
“Nairobi got a higher point score than last year
but other cities around it increased by more,” Roisin Miller of EIU told
the Business Daily.
The rankings offer a sneak preview of a country’s
level of development and are used as a tool to guide companies setting
shop in new countries and paying expatriates.
It also determines a city’s ability to attract and retain foreign investment, expatriates and tourists.
Nairobi’s low ranking could help multinationals justify high salaries and hardship allowances they pay staff stationed in the city.
Nairobi’s low ranking could help multinationals justify high salaries and hardship allowances they pay staff stationed in the city.
Living conditions
“Companies pay a premium (usually a percentage of a
salary) to employees who move to cities where living conditions are
particularly difficult and there is excessive physical hardship or a
notably unhealthy environment,” the poll says.
Nairobi dropped from position 120 last year after
improving two places from position 122 in 2014 and 125 in 2011 — when
the EIU survey was first launched.
The report shows that Kenya’s capital has remained
in the bottom 20 of global cities with the best living conditions for
six years in a row.
Nairobi dwellers continue to be saddled with
challenges daily, including crime, poor roads, traffic jams, poor
garbage disposal and unstable electricity supply — consigning the city
to the tail end of the ranking.
“The Economist Intelligence Unit’s liveability
rating quantifies the challenges that might be presented to an
individual’s lifestyle in any given location, and allows for direct
comparison between locations,” the report says.
In Africa, Kenya’s capital comes in at position five as the most pleasant city to live in ahead of Cairo.
Johannesburg is the best African city to live in at position 92 globally, followed by Pretoria, Tunis and Casablanca.
Lagos is last in the continent and three positions from the bottom globally.
Australia’s Melbourne maintained the top position as the
world’s most pleasant city to live in for the sixth year in a row,
followed by Vienna (Austria) and Vancouver in Canada. Syria’s Damascus
was at the bottom (140), followed by Tripoli and Lagos.
notuki@ke.nationmedia.com
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