Mukuru SPA update: from planning to implementation in 2020

By Jane Weru and Patrick Njoroge, Akiba Mashinani Trust

This post is part of a series we will publish throughout 2021 about the ongoing Mukuru Special Planning Area process—with particular focus on the transition from planning to approval and implementation.

Each post updates on a specific aspect of the Mukuru SPA and reflects on challenges faced and the associated lessons we have drawn thus far.  

In this first post, we report on progress in concluding the planning process itself, for which the planning consortia drafting the Mukuru Integrated Development Plan worked with local government to finalise sector-level plans. Planning is a major prerequisite to the drawing down of government funds—it is thus critical that plans for redeveloping informal settlements are prepared by county governments in accordance with statutory requirements, as a basis for budgeting.

Refresher: Mukuru SPA and the Integrated Development Plan

With the SPA declaration, development in Mukuru was put on hold for two years to allow time for ‘integrated development plans’ to be prepared for the area. Eight consortiums, each thematically aligned to county departments, were established to oversee the preparation of the plans.

These consortiums (collectively, ‘the consortia’) brought together a wide range of over 40 organisations from civil society, academia and the private sector working alongside the county government.  

The Mukuru SPA’s thematic planning consortiums.

The consortia collected and compiled accurate data on Mukuru that would reveal the complex and deeply-rooted challenges that were crippling decent access to services and infrastructure in the area.

These findings formed the evidence base for organised community consultations and then, together with the community’s feedback, for the development of Mukuru’s integrated development plan.

Pre-covid plan for the community participation and consultation process

2019–2020: Towards the Completion of the Mukuru Integrated Development Plan

The aim was to develop a Mukuru Integrated Development Plan (MIDP) that responds to the unique development challenges (and opportunities) faced by this area. The plan includes both spatial and sectoral elements, and contains six areas of focus: 1. water, sanitation and energy; 2. education; 3. health services; 4. roads, housing and commerce; 5. secure tenure; and 6. the environment. Once complete, the MIDP would to guide delivery of sustainable basic social services.

By the end of 2019, six sectoral consortia had completed initial residents consultations and developed draft sector plans. The draft plans were presented to the county government. Initial comments were made and received.

Local government changes

Then, in early 2020, Nairobi County government transferred some of its key functions to a newly-formed government body, the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS)—causing some disruption to the SPA process. Amongst the transferred functions were city planning; water, sanitation and energy services; health; and the environment.

We, as the consortia, needed the continued support of local government to ensure the completion of the Mukuru SPA planning process. So the Muungano Alliance, and in particular Akiba Mashinani Trust (AMT), worked to build new links and collaborate with the newly established NMS. We assisted NMS to convene meetings with different sectoral consortiums, in which each consortium presented its plans and received comments and feedback from NMS planning staff. Six of these consortia meetings were successfully held.

Working with NMS to finalise sector plans

After that, AMT further assisted NMS to convene consortia partners for a one-day multisectoral workshop—at which it was agreed that a 10-day editing workshop would be convened by NMS. At this second workshop, a small editorial team edited and finalized all the Mukuru SPA plans, for publication and completion. Three sector plans (water and sanitation; roads and drainage; and electrification) were in this way finalized, and their implementation commenced in May 2020.

Starting to implement the plans

In May 2020, the Nairobi Metropolitan Service, in collaboration with Athi Water, Kenya Urban Roads Authority, Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company and the Kenya Power and Lighting Company, promptly started drilling boreholes and working on the elevation of steel water tanks, setting up water kiosks, extending water and sewerage piping networks, constructing and improving all roads to bitumen standards with drainage channels, and installing street lights in the whole of Mukuru SPA.

Reflecting on challenges and lessons learnt so far

Challenges

Over the last three years, constant change of officials and general instability in Nairobi County government have been major impediments to achieving completion of the Mukuru planning process within the two-year time period stipulated by statute.

Lack of funds was a constant difficulty, with each consortium expected to raise its own resources to cover its work.

Convening partners and holding community consultation meetings during the Covid-19 pandemic was another major challenge. Unfortunately, as a consequence, the last planned round of community consultation meetings—in which final plans were to be shared with residents—did not take place.

Lessons

The power of working together—across sectors and in close collaboration with the county and other government departments—has been a key factor in enabling project successes.