Kisumu hosts this year’s World Habitat Day celebrations
By MyGov Reporter
Kisumu City will host the national celebrations to mark this year’s World Habitat Day.
Ahead of the celebrations, Lands Cabinet Secretary Ms Alice Wahome said that the Government had made some milestones with regards to the Habitat Agenda.
World Habitat Day is an international day observed on the first Monday of October every year.
“The Kenya Government has made some milestones with regards to the Habitat Agenda. Our Affordable Housing Program aimed at delivering 200,000 housing units annually, is at the core of our urban development strategy, it goes beyond just building", the CS noted.
“This decentralized approach to affordable housing throughout the country has spurred growth within our Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, jump-starting the sector.
“The positive externalities on labour creation, skills acquisition and economic empowerment are immense especially with regards to our young people. As of today, we have reached 130,000 housing units that are at various stages of development,” she said.
The Cabinet Secretary noted that Kenyan towns and cities are no different from many urban areas across the world, with their own specific set of urban challenges that demand creative solutions led by young people.
The challenges of informal settlements not in a position to offer proper shelter and little ubiquitous facilities, highlighted why youth needed to take part actively in Urban Planning and Development, Ms Wahome said, adding that that participation along with rural-urban migration of high-potential youth striving towards a brighter future, should prompt innovative strategies to create jobs and invest in infrastructure.
Welcoming the participants to Kisumu, Governor Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o disclosed that the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Sports Complex will be the venue for the celebrations which will be heralded by tree planting and a clean-up exercise ahead of the fete.
The Governor said it was worth noting that World Habitat Day was first celebrated in 1986 in Nairobi, Kenya, with the theme ‘Shelter is my right’.
“Today, 38 years later, we are celebrating this event here in Kisumu-Kenya’s third-largest city whose urbanization challenges sync with the theme “Engaging youth to create a better urban future.”
“In Kisumu, we are cognizant of the fact that the future belongs to the youth, and it will be disastrous if we don’t help them plan for this future.
"Cities across the world are sagging under the weight of a high population of young people fleeing to urban centers in search of non-existent jobs and other opportunities. It is gratifying that one of the objectives of ‘Urban October’ is to engage our youth in honest conversations in planning for the future,” the Governor noted.
This year’s UN Habitat Day comes amid the stark reality of an urban explosion already being witnessed in many cities, including Kisumu, he said.
In her speech, the UN-Habitat Executive Director Ms. Anacláudia Rossbach said the global housing crisis was a significant issue affecting millions of people worldwide with key challenges being affordability, shortage of affordable housing, urbanisation, economic factors and socio-health impacts.
“Efforts are being made globally to address these challenges including building more affordable homes and improving urban planning and policies. However, the scale of the problem requires sustained and coordinated efforts from governments, private sectors and communities at large,” she said.
Ms. Rossbach said that by engaging in youth, UN-Habitat is helping to create a more inclusive and equitable urban future.
“Young people bring fresh perspectives, energy, and creativity to the table, and their involvement is essential for addressing the complex challenges of urbanization. As the world continues to urbanize, UN-Habitat will remain at the forefront of efforts to build better cities for all,” she said.
The Executive Director noted the long- standing partnership between her organisation and Kisumu, pinpointing the recently initiated Partnership for the Implementation of the New Urban Agenda (PINUA) which is a joint program with the Government of Kenya to develop models and approaches for filling the gap in social housing in the context of Kenya.