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{
    "id": 769017,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/769017/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 123,
    "type": "other",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "So, that is something that we need to look out for. Even just across the border here in South Africa, they have proper regulations of how you are supposed to repaint your house after a period of time. This has the effect of taking care of the youth programmes just to ensure that the masses have some money in their pockets. Those are some of the things that the National Urban Development Policy seeks in terms of ensuring that there is proper governance and a robust economy. When you have a running city, then the idea around the very efficiency of that city is the way in which you are able to create jobs for the young people, alleviate poverty and ensure that there is circulation of money within that economy. Mr. Speaker, Sir, this Policy seeks also to address issues of environment, especially around sustainability of our built up spaces. This is important with regard to the debate around climate change and global warming. Sometimes we are always reminded that Africa is yet to really reap its own dividends for development. This Policy is critical in emphasising on how we can use renewable energy to fuel development. I am also reminded, and very pleased because I saw that Kenyatta University has gotten into a partnership that will ensure that they are able to provide ten megawatts from solar, which is the way to go. This is so that we do not just have urban development as it were, but also green and intelligent cities where we can use natural light in terms of how we construct and use solar for street lighting and so on. Those are some of the things that this Policy would seek to address, going forward. Most importantly, it is to ensure that there is recycling of material and creating industries around that. We have had a big dumpsite in Dandora and the sewerage in Ruai. How do we ensure that we can create energy from such refuse from the seven or so million Kenyans who live in Nairobi? It is a constitutional requirement within the five year time period that this Parliament passes the National Physical Planning Bill. We were able to pass it in the National Assembly in the Eleventh Parliament but then it was not able to be passed here in the Senate because of timelines. One of the things to ensure that we are able to actualise the National Urban Development Policy is to pass that legislation as per the requirements of the Constitution. In that Bill it is very clear in terms of creation of a National Physical Planning Forum where people can actually discuss the way forward with regard to how our cities are going to be planned. It is important to encourage local action in terms of city development and neighbourhood associations where people come together and plan their own neighbourhoods. There have been some forms of resistance where, for example, you zone a particular area and say, “This is for low density occupation and that is high density.” This Policy should seek to encourage such so that we have a city that is for low, middle and high income earners. I imagine that the ambition of this Policy is to ensure that we have mass transit systems through a light rail system and “dualisation” for example of major roads such as the Northern and Eastern bypass. It should also ensure that Kenyans have a choice to live in whatever conurbation they would want to live in within the various segmentations of the city. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes"
}