First urban conference kicks off in Nakuru to bring in investors
The Nakuru county government will host the first-ever Kenya Urban Forum Conference as it seeks to market the region to potential investors.
The county administration has disclosed that it will use the conference, running under the theme “Strategic Pathways to Inclusive and Sustainable Urbanization in Kenya,” to position Nakuru County as an investor’s paradise.
Cabinet Secretary for Public Works, Housing, and Urban Development Zachariah Mwangi Njeru (pictured) said key thematic subjects that participants will deliberate on include urban infrastructure and services, urban planning and management, urban resilience, climate change and the environment, urban governance and management, and the land question.
Speaking in Nakuru during a press briefing after inspecting the venue’s conference at the Lake Naivasha resort, Njeru observed that both the United Nations (UN) and African Union (AU) recognize that African towns and cities will host more people than the continent’s rural areas in the next two decades, bringing into sharp focus the level of preparedness of the urban centres to provide for the large populations.
“These populations will need food, shelter, security, healthy environments to live in, an efficient transportation system, reliable, cost-effective, and clean energy, social amenities, and employment opportunities,” observed the Cabinet Secretary.
Njeru, who was flanked by Nakuru County Executive Committee Member in Charge of Lands, Physical Planning, Housing, and Urban Development John Kihagi, said the forthcoming summit is an important opportunity for county and national government leaders and policymakers to reflect on Kenya’s preparedness to meet the challenge of rapid urbanisation.
The Kenya Urban Forum Conference will be held from Wednesday, June 14 to Friday, June 16. The development comes at a time when Nakuru is witnessing major infrastructural and economic transformations as Governor Susan Kihika continues with her county reform agenda. Over 5,000 delegates have confirmed that they will attend.
