New Kenya, New Counties without Slums!

Mukuru Kwa Njenga School, Nairobi, where residents from the vicinity use the school's toilets during the day, February 2010, ©Amnesty International

Poverty and upgrading of informal settlements will not be possible unless cities are productive and efficient
-Nelson Mandela

In the wake of a new constitution in Kenya, Kenyans, especially the majority poor-46% of the population are living in less than one dollar a day- have very high expectations for a new, better Kenya. Thus the new slogan seems to be: New wine, new wineskin!

Moreover, the new Constitution of Kenya’s Bill of Rights is seen as the great white hope for most Kenyans, especially those that have for a long time been disfranchised. Even those living in uninhabitable housing have not been left out (Article 43 1 (b)), thus: Every person has the right-to accessible and adequate housing, and to reasonable standards of sanitation

Even Kenya’s Head of state, Mr. Mwai Kibaki, could not hide his excitement and the hope he has for the country’s future while addressing the 65th Session of the UN General Assembly, New York, on September 23, 2010:

The New Constitution greatly improves the structures of governance and lays a firm foundation for political stability and economic prosperity. It has injected new vitality and a sense of renewal. We believe that this step will go a long way in contributing towards the pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals. It is also our hope that this historic development will contribute to continued consolidation of democratic governance in our region.

With a devolved government or county governments, Kenya has ushered in a renewed opportunity to make up for its misguided plan of the Millennium Development Goals. Kenya’s current framework for implementing the MDGs-Vision 2030-connotes pessimism, because it depicts a competitor riding on two horses at the same time to win one race. But with County governments (47), each headed by a governor, Kenya has the greatest opportunity ever to paint her country anew, with symbolic colors that ensure “plenty be found within our borders”. For example, a county government will be responsible for developing policy for the county, implementing county laws, and managing the public service of the country. As such I expect that one of the crucial policies, which is under the county government’s jurisdiction, will be to ensure that we have COUNTIES WITHOUT SLUMS!