And are they not right? The humanitarian crisis in this Africa's 4th most populous city is already at alarming levels, with rampant poverty and a lack of adequate, reliable basic services. According to the UN, less than half of the households in Nairobi have proper water connections, let alone a reliable water supply.

The vast amounts of garbage that are dumped in areas around the city are a detriment to the quality of life experienced by Nairobi residents. This is partly due to the unplanned and unchecked population boom that hit the Nairobi in the mid 1980s and the lethargic, reactive approach that the government chose in responding to the new challenge.

To be fair, when the colonial powers approved a town plan in 1948, they had no way of accurately predicting the challenges Nairobi would be facing at the turn of the century. Also the city council, under the leadership of Mayor Dick Waithaka, has taken several positive steps towards tackling some of the issues. However, these plans will be moot if the government, both local and national, does not find a way to address the current overpopulation and the expected exponential increase (may be as high as 25% by 2020).

That is why it only makes sense to have a second capital in Kenya. Nairobi can remain the economical and cultural capital city, while a second city could become the political nerve center. That would mean designing a city from scratch and relocating all national executive, legislative and judicial buildings; State House, the Parliament, High Court, ministry headquarters, and an international airport among others. The Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE), Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) and other organizations of economic and cultural importance could remain in Nairobi.

This could be co-opted into the Vision 2030 project with slight modification of the blue print, which incidentally already includes plans to establish several new cities. It would initially offer instant mass employment, with planners, developers and builders attracted to the massive project – closely followed by entities that would be needed to support such a population such as markets, shops, bars, etc. Once completed the city would attract larger investors who would build support and supplemental establishments that would cater to this political elite.

Kenya would hardly be breaking ground on this. Brazil changed its capital from Rio de Janeiro to Brasilia to deal with the overpopulation that existed in the south (where the old capital was). Brasilia, which was designed to be the capital, was located in a sparsely populated area towards the center of the country. This had the immediate desired effect of active migration and development of that region. Other planned capitals include Islamabad, Abuja, Ottawa and Washington D.C.

A few countries have multiple capitals including South Africa, which has Cape Town as the legislative capital, Pretoria as the administrative capital and Bloemfontein as the judicial capital showing that this would not be an experiment without precedent.

This new city would drain a considerable portion of Nairobi’s populace and effectively retard the high growth rate of the city’s population. The effect would be that the city council would gain some breathing room and a better opportunity to put Nairobi back on a more sustainable track.

We have to reclaim Nairobi to restore it to its past beauty and glory. Imagine a Nairobi with a decent urban infrastructure, and a proper waste management system. Imagine a Nairobi where the slums are actually shrinking. Imagine a Nairobi with clean running streams and rivers with large, green parks. Imagine a place of cool waters; imagine the green city in the sun.

A second capital would be one way to help this happen.

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Pragmatic?
written by Noelus , September 20, 2007

This is really interesting!! Is it really possible to do this. How much will be spent on such a project Dave? And does the country have the funds to do this?

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written by lmunala , September 20, 2007

Interesting concept.I have to agree with the author that Nairobi is overcrowded. I may be mistaken, but was this concept what former President Moi had in mind for Eldoret? Sometime back in the early to mid 90s, It looked like Eldoret would become the next big city. There was talk about some businesses moving to Eldoret especially right before the Airport was up and running.

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not again
written by joe , September 20, 2007

ok, at first I though you would shed some new light on this issue but no .. You go ahead and propose a new city. Nairobi is not over crowded its just unplanned. and so you propose that the same people who did not plan Nairobi plan a new city.. It's not like people from Mars will come and build this new city.

Nairobi has 4 million people thats small compared to cities like Lagos,Cairo,Kinshasa not to mention seoul. so i dont see the urgency in moving capitals unless of course we see an opportunity for fast cash for the contractors.

i think your rational is the same rational that Kibaki uses in creating new districts left and write think about
for example in Kakamega what used to be 1 district there are at last count 4 or 5 districts i stopped keeping track. the cost of the districts and the bureacracy
of this surpases the cost of simply building better roads. the distance from Kakamega to Mumias is less much less than 100 miles.

so basicaly why not improve teh infrastructure roads and phones with modern communication its not like we need to walk to the DO's office all the time.

speaking of Nairobi why not build up ..why not innovate. the value of the land of Kibera is enough to provide
housing for its residents .. why not sell the land and use the money to provide house for the residents and acre of land in Kibera could be worth more than a million you could build enough high-rise apartmennts on that acre to house a couple thousand people ... the same with the old estate Jericho,Jerusale, Maringo etc.

These new capital stories need to end, its not like Abuja drained Lagos of anybody anyway.

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Nairobi is a lost cause
written by Don , September 20, 2007

Building a new city will not decongest Nairobi, especially with your proposal that it remains economic and culture capital. Those denying that Nairobi is congested must be strangers to the city; if you have been there in the recent months, you'd appreciate what many Kenyans are lamenting about. I predict that the center will choke to a halt as satellite suburb cities form around it.

The problem with Nairobi is just a reflection of poor economic planning that has concentrated, either by design or default, 60% of Kenya's economy in the city. The rest of the country is starved of meaningful economic activities. So, it's natural for Nairobi to draw in more people, especially the youth of hip/hop and bleng bleng culture. You can plan Nairobi all you want, but it won't change a thing until our economic strategy shifts to making every corner of Kenya vibrant.

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develop the villages
written by Seline , September 20, 2007

Build a second city? why don't we just spend the money developing our townships and villages, bringing banks and encouraging investments there-then you wouldn't have all the people rushing to the city.
Kenya is pretty much a very rural country and we need to do something about it.
The problem is most kenyans, especially in the villages think that Nairobi is the only place you can really prosper,(partly true and can't blame them).Most of them would rather live in Kibera instead of getting stuck up in usenge, oloitokitok,Nambale, mumias....I say use the money to invest in rural development.

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re: Nairobi is a lost cause
written by a guest , September 20, 2007

60% of Kenya's economy in the city.

aah thats the problem 60% iof the economy is in nairobi and what percentage is invested back ?

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written by Don , September 20, 2007

@Seline
You are spot on. Our economic development is mal-distributed. I have always wonder why young people would leave fertile land and business opportunities in the villages to go live in squalor chasing the Nairobi "dream." I'm curious about one the areas you mentioned, will indulge you a little bit more later.

@Anony
The bit re-invested goes into the bottomless pockets of those thieves you elect and their henchmen.

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dare to peek outside the box
written by Dave Nyambati , September 21, 2007

It is interesting to note that most of you here have recognized the need for rural development while writing Nairobi off as unsalvageable. I too have been calling for rural development but also recognize the need to work on some of the problems we have in our ‘urban’ areas. Ignoring Nairobi’s problems is not the answer – I believe both problems can be addressed in a formulated way.

My idea is to create a well planned political capital in an area relatively distant from Nairobi, in an underdeveloped area. Vision 2030 already calls for the building of several cities which, if successful, would effectively urbanize much of Kenya. But where does that leave Nairobi?

In creating this new capital, you would instantly draw a lot of the urban populace who as of yet have their ‘Nairobi dream’ unfulfilled. You would need no further incentives as a lot of these people will want to take full advantage of the second chance at their dream.

@Joe
I don’t know which Nairobi you are talking about, but the one I know is working on an outdated plan and is very congested. As I hope you very well know, it’s not simply about mere numbers. It’s about land, housing, infrastructure and resources. It’s about the number of people the city can support at a decent living standard.

Criticism is one thing, but criticism that is not constructive is pointless. In rebuttal to my proposal, you offer that the government evict the million or so living in Kibera, sell the land for millions then build high-rises for that million or so? Do you think any of this is practical?

@Don
The new city would first and foremost pull all the national level government officials out of Nairobi. These officials will move with their families. These families will move with their workers. These workers will need merchants. These merchants will need shops. These shops will need builders. These builders will need hospitals – see where I’m going? Nairobi would probably choke on itself as you predict if left unchecked for the next fifty years. Just because there has been poor planning in the past doesn’t mean we can’t plan better for the future. Nairobi will always have its appeal – but so would the new city.

@Seline
If you build it they will come. There’s no way to urbanize 100% of Kenya neither should that be the goal. The government alone cannot build/urbanize a town. It can only create the structures that would support one, offer incentives and hope people are drawn to it. There is currently a plan – which sounds pretty good on paper – to develop more parts of Kenya and offer alternative industries to generate jobs and income. My suggestion is to simply add one more city to that plan.

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can be done
written by Dave Nyambati , September 21, 2007

Noelus & Imunala

This is very doable. Moi had hoped to make Eldoret a city but he did not have enough incentives for people to be drawn to it.

I don't dare suggest that my proposal would end Nairobi's problems - only that it would give Nairobi some much needed relief.

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written by Stephen Wanyama , September 21, 2007

There is more than one reason to de-centralise from Nairobi, although I do not think that it need be forced. With a little re-jig of our constitution, which Job promises us Raila will pursue, the regions and municipalities should gain the ability to independently court investors. The markets should soon begin to shift people away from Nairobi. I am part of a group that is seeking to invest in IT in the old country, and we are looking to set up shop in Kisumu, or even in Mwanza. High rents, the crime rate, the poor services and the amount of time wasted commuting should soon interest every savvy investor in cities like Naivasha, or if they are very brave Nakuru.
For those investors with regional ambitions, Kisumu, Eldoret and Mwanza are fabulous alternatives.
Transferring politics and government away from Nairobi would be prohibitively expensive. I see may Kenyans are simply obsessed with public works. Unless we are talking about roads, energy, railways, irrigation or communication , I am afraid we cannot afford these extras.

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written by Amir Ibrahim , September 21, 2007

If this plan had any chance of working as a boost to the economy, all those new districts and the headquarters constructed for them should have made Kenya a first world country by now.

Decentralisation is A OK, but lets try to focus on things that can have a real and immediate multiplier effect. For example bringing down the price of energy, or the cost of transporting a container from MSA to NBI.

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written by joe , September 21, 2007

@ author
nowhere did i suggest that kiberas inhabitants be evicted! i suggested that we use tha value of the land to improve the are like

a) give the inhabitant title to the land so they can use it as collateral to build better housing
b)have a scheme where by developers are given land in kibera for free provided they build highrises and give half the units to the current inhabitants (similar plan is happening in mumbai)

as for nairobis overcrowding i was born and raised in nairobi the population has more than quadrupled in that period an i can honestly say that no new roads hve been build in the past 25yrs. - all we need is better housing improved infrastructure and urban infill development. occupying agricultural land
to develop a new town is not sustainable - i think thats theold urban thinking
we can make better use of density and its cheaper to provide infrastructure ,eductaion,water and better public transit in denser settlements.

as for new cities it looks like the govt has 3 resort cities planned in vision 2030.

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@ Dave
written by Seline , September 21, 2007

So de we build a second city and leave rural kenya the way it is now? Thing is , more people will still come from the rural areas and build shantytowns around this "new city". Decongesting Nairobi is a good plan, but addressing poverty and underdevelopment in rural areas is more urgent, and can solve so many problems that we are facing in the city, including joblessness and insecurity. I personally feel that we are setting our priorities upside down here. It is not about urbanizing the whole of kenya, it's about creating jobs in poor regions to check rural-urban migration.

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the blueprint
written by Dave Nyambati , September 22, 2007

What some of you seem to be overlooking is the fact the government is planning to build new cities. If the debate was about trying to get the government to build new cities then most of your arguments would be apt.

But we are where we are i.e. they are planning to build 3 resort cities(as Joe pointed out). If you think adding a fourth would cost too much then replace one of these resort cities with my proposal.

@Joe
you have several inconsistencies in your argument. You say you did not ask for anyone to be evicted but propose several things;
a)Giving the inhabitants titles to the land to use as collateral. What this means is that each person would get a title for the small piece of land their house sits on (how many feet is that)- unless you evict some of them to free more land. Getting the banks to accept that land as collateral for a decent loan is another issue.

b)Give developers free land in exchange for half of the flats free. Aside from the issue of attracting investors to one of the world's largest, dangerous slums, how many people would these flats hold? (remember you have a million people to think about- unless you evict some). If you do get the developers in, you would still need to evict a considerable amount of people to give them space to work.

@Seline
I agree with you, the best way to address a lot of Kenya's problems is to provide jobs. However some rural areas should stay relatively rural because we need those areas to concentrate on farming - provided they provide their inhabitants with a way to make a living. Rural does not mean underdeveloped, it means an area focused on agriculture. Part of the reason the government has decided to build new cities is that it knows that these will instantly generate jobs by providing new needs and new wants. This in turn will improve the GDP and the trickle down effect should improve the lives of kawaida wanainchi. I know the idea sounds drastic, but if you look a little closer you would see that it is not that different from what you are saying.

We should develop the areas towns we have now as well as plan for the future. The future has a way of arriving unannounced. If we do not make plans for the future, it will make plans for us. Do not believe me, take a look at Nairobi for yourself!

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@ Dave
written by Seline , September 22, 2007

Rightly said-rural does not mean underdeveloped, but the sad reality is 80% or more of rural kenya is underdeveloped, so do we keep it that way? There are of course the traditionally agricultural areas of kenya, but we all know that this is not what we are talking about here. I did not mention Mumias, Kitale, nandi hills... cause people in these areas can work on the farms and put food on the table. What do you do with people who live in dry areas where large-scale agricultural practice is non existent.Sadly, they are quite a number in kenya, and poor people from these regions will still flock to the slums in search of a better life (which is a fundamental right). All am saying is, the government's plan to build more cities is a laudable and an ambitious project, but let's first concentrate on burning issues.

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Useless blueprint!!
written by Don , September 22, 2007

It's not the business of Governments to build cities. Government's need to provide the infrastructure and amenities everywhere to facilitate people's development of their neighborhoods. If those neighborhoods become cities, so be it. Hayo fikira za serikali ya mjengo tuyaache.

Part of the reason Nairobi is such a mess is the failure of the GoK in servicing development sites, in tandem with rapid expansion of the city. It thus became a free-for-all mad rush facilitated by a rotten City Hall. Even more disturbing is the failure of the Government to recognize the need to plan and upgrade the infrastructure of upcoming towns before they sprawl out of control. Inhabitants of such towns could be staying put, than moving to Nairobi, had there been adequate amenities and infrastructure. The Government's we've had so far have been neither proactive nor reactive; i.e. passive, with looting the only business in town.

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written by emmo opoti , September 22, 2007

It is really very sad that we keep looking to the government to solve our problems and grant us jobs. It will never work, it has never worked anywhere on earth.

What resurces would be expended in the building of these cities ( Vision 2030 seems to me like a failure to plan) would be best used in creating an environment where every last Kenyan can sustain themselves if they want to. As things stand energy is prohibitively expensive, farmers cannot get their goods to market, there is not a sufficiently developed credit system, and so on ad nauseam.
The second thing we must work to improve, and which I am inviting everyone to start obsessing about is the difficulty of starting a business and conducting a business in Kenya. Here again are our rotten scores, until we can sort them out, we are going nowhere fast. That we are actually dropping in these scores explains why Kibaki's much vaunted econmic renaissance is not being felt at the grassroots, and also why Raila's budget binge will not work at all either. Even with a superb infrastructure, zero corruption and zero tribalism. This must be our main focus.

Those are Kenya's real problems. We must stop acting like our resources are endless, and prioritise.

Joe,
Have you read De Soto. He is the head of the ILD in Peru, one of the world's most important think-tanks. He has written vastly on title deeds and land reform as a means to economic growth; including in the slums. There's a few ther problems, but I agree it is a way to go. Are you talking every individual owns a plot, or are yu talking the present land-lords own the plots?

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written by Tim Norwood , September 22, 2007

emmo,
One must be very careful when talking about land reform, and the formalisation of property ownership like De Soto's. His are very powerful ideas, but rely n predicates that are most often completely absent from the reality in the developing world. It is disturbing, but true that most of our people subsist under conditions that are partly self-imposed. A course of indoctrination in the ways of responsibility and money management is necessary before people can be given such responsibility.
I have seen you mentioned access to credit, now this ties in also with your proposing voucher privatisation on the other thread. Absent the knowledge of the management of these assets, families up and down the country will be losing their shares, or their plots of land as speclators and greedy lenders cajole them with quick and easy money. Perhaps only a year later, the same problems will return.

As for a new capital, Amir Ibrahim said it best.

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Emmo on De Soto
written by Kimani Njoroge , September 22, 2007

Emmo is spot-on regarding the importance of de Soto’s ideas in unleashing Kenya’s entrepreneurial strengths. Poverty, claims de Soto, happens when resources are not utilized to their full potential, due to lack of property rights; when bureaucratic procedures increase the cost of starting and running businesses; and when the rule of law, which guarantees protection of private property, is non-existent. Guarantee the masses those three prerequisites and they will take charge of their own lives.

De Soto’s ideas on land reform could be used to arrest the spread of slums in our townships. Slums expand mainly because nobody owns the land, which is considered government property, or those who own it do not have tittles. Giving titles to slum dwellers could change their fortunes, as witnessed in Lima, Peru. I'll soon review de Soto's Mystery of Capital here at Kenya Imagine.

New Capital

Moving the capital on infrastructural grounds won't save Nairobi. Besides, Lagos, Dar, Rio, and Karachi are in the same mess they were before their governments relocated. It's also interesting that most relocations happen during oppressive regimes; Nigeria moved to Abuja under General Murtala Mohammed, Tanzania to Dodoma under Nyerere's Ujamaa experiment, Pakistan to Islamabad under Ayub Khan, and Burma's junta just moved the capital to the middle of nowhere. As Wanyama illustrated, Nairobi should stay but have most of its powers transfered to local governments.

On a Personal Note

Thank you Dave for introducing me to Kenya Imagine. Will always be grateful. Kimani

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Decongestion and Federalism
written by cape , September 22, 2007

Like South Africa, Kenya has the ability to decentralize its services and take them to the people. It makes no sense for a citizen to drive all the way to Nairobi for a high court hearing or even get license plates or even a passport. Kenya has Mombasa, Nakuru,Kisumu, Eldoret, Lodwar cities that they can use to bring services to the people. Take a 50km radius from Nairobi and you will find towns that can serve as centres of government services. A Federal goverment will encourage folks to go to their local government and get the governent services needed. Traveling to Nairobi for most is an expensive deal. You have to consider our government is on efficiency but we have a ways to go still.

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City Planning Su*gestions
written by aeichener , September 24, 2007

I do not think a second capital or national centre would be of much help. It would only be an election token gift for the mass of wailing and lamenting jengs, to be blunt.

Nairobi once had excellent, future-oriented city planning. That was in the late 1940s and the 1950, where the best of Britain's young and aspiring civil servants were posted to Kenya (India was no more). Incidentally, one of these city planners was a European emigrant, an Austrian lady.

All that is a lamented thing of past. Today, city planning exists not. Understandably so; for in order to dry out a morass, you cannot hold a referendum among the frogs first.

What Nairobi needs, in this order:

- Fast public transport (light rail and tramway). Start with an airport rail link.
- A car-free city centre, only buses and tramway allowed (no cars, no matatus; yes, you read right: no matatus).
- A fast, unconvoluted motorway city ring with at least three lanes each, and overpasses instead of roundabouts.
- Restoration of all rivers and brooks within city limits (it's fully possible, see Korea).
- A new modern sewage and drinking water network.
- Modern digital telephone network and a citywide highspeed data-net.
- Pull down a few churches and other crooks' hangouts, and build citizen service centes instead (...mmmhh, that was a bit tongue in cheek...).
- Proper plastering and tarmacking of the entire inner city.
- New modern waster treatment plants, and regular waste collections everywhere.
- Last not least, a large set of prominent gallows. Ahem.

Alexander

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Alexander for NCC Clerk
written by Don , September 24, 2007

Talk is indeed cheap! Makes me wonder when last you were in Nairobi. Read back a little bit and you'll notice that all the things you suggest have been on paper for ages and that some implementation have been attempted to great resistance. Nairobi's malaise is more than just vehicular traffic congestion and poor infrastructure. Some of your suggestions are not practical unless entire sections of the city are pulled down. That's why I maintain that salvaging Nairobi from its slow death will be a tall order. But, I'm glad you are optimistic.

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written by joe , September 24, 2007

here is a link to what mumbai is doing and what i had alluded to, click here

I think the same strategy should and could be used in redeveloping old city estates like Mbotela,Maringo etc.
I also think that the problem with the city is cultural. Most Kenyans in the olden days never considered the city a home infact i think growing up in Kenyan school you get punished for saying that you are from Nairobi. So how do you expect people to to invest in a temporary home?
The post independent occupants and rulers of Nairobi did not consider Nairobi a home and so did not bother investing and developing it.
Further on succesive govts have not had any urban policy. Matter of fact if Kibaki loses elections it would be for the lack of an urban policy. - most of his policies have benefited the rural economy

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re: Alexander for NCC Clerk
written by aeichener , September 25, 2007

Don, your criticism is immature, but nevertheless very justifed, and I shall accept it as such.

Talk is indeed cheap! Makes me wonder when last you were in Nairobi.

In February. Of 2007, not 1957. And your point?

you'll notice that all the things you suggest have been on paper for ages and that some implementation have been attempted to great resistance.

Both true. The solutions to Kenya's problems are not difficult. Many of them are even glaringly obviously, so indeed my above comments cannot claim any special wit. It only needs determination, force and some necessary brutality to implement them.

Nairobi's malaise is more than just vehicular traffic congestion and poor infrastructure. Some of your suggestions are not practical unless entire sections of the city are pulled down.

Of course. And one does not need to be one of the whip-craving Mugabve sycophants of this website to acknowledge this harsh consequence.
I have a surprise for you: large-size infrastructural improvement is never possible without tearing old structures down and erecting new ones. This is doubly true for everything that pertains to railroad reserves (and road reserves, too).

What the government (forget City Council, let them chase rats and clamp mis-parked cars) lacks, is not the ability nor the willingness to tear slum sheds down, run a baton charge and displace poor people out of sight.

African governments - white colonial or black independent - have never had a problem with that, alas. And Kenyans are especially vicious when it comes to clobbering and maiming those weaker and poorer than you: show me how a people treats its hawkers, and I tell you about the morality and savagery of these people.

The problem, rather, is to plan ahead, and to offer the necessarily displaced dwellers suitable, cheap and humane (!) alternative settlements. That's where the government fails us.

Alexander

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