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{
    "id": 769149,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/769149/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 255,
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    "content": "For instance, if you get some of these private sector organisations like Coca Cola, the East African Breweries Limited (EABL), Safaricom, et cetera and work with them on a programme to adopt estates and give them space for branding, they can do so. For example, they can adopt Buru Buru Estate and grow trees there for one year and engage the young people. We can also get Coca Cola Company to adopt Pumwani Hospital. We need to do that so that we can focus more on the core service provision as a county. That also provides incentive for them to take action. There has been no framework for proper public-private partnership. A few years ago, I know a group of business people who even wanted to develop just the streets where they operate. They wanted to do the roads, put cabro paving blocks, lights and to improve the security of the areas, yet they could not get approval to do that from the county government. There is nothing more absurd than that because if these people are partnering with the county government, they should be seen as partners to development, but not barriers. That is why that first plank of urban governance is key. Today I wrote to the Speaker of Nairobi County Assembly and to each and every member of the county assembly just to understand some of the specific needs that they have in their different wards. If we are not able to build the capacity not just of oversight, but also of representation to be able to hear the voice of the people at the ward level in an urban area, we will not be able to solve these problems. There is also need to review and harmonise all legislation relating to urban governance and management. We have seen a lot of conflict of laws and demands for different licences when we are getting into construction. The National Construction Authority (NCA) will come today and say something about your plot, tomorrow, the inspectorate from the county government will come and say something different and another day somebody from the Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development will come and say something different. This should be harmonised, not only for investors’ confidence, but also for proper utilisation of the spaces that we have. The second plank which is important is urban finance. Urban finance creates the pool from which we are able to deliver and to create that world class city that we require. Allow me to also speak more about Nairobi than the rest since I am not very well conversant with them. Having been born in this city and lived here all my life, I might sound unexposed, but I have not been away from this city for one month straight since I was born. I have travelled around the world but I have never been out of Nairobi for more than 30 days straight. This is a city that I have grown up in. I have seen it declining and I know what used to work and what doesn’t. I was born just actually a walking distance from here, in Ngara. I have interacted and I remember when I could walk through town when I was a small boy, it was clean. I have observed the decline. Therefore, if my references focus more on Nairobi, please just allow me, but also that is what I have been mandated to do in this House. Nairobi has a weak revenue base, poorly performing revenue collection because of corruption, inadequate financial transfers from the central government which is the third principle of fiscal decentralisation and a weak institutional capacity. If you do not The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes"
}