By: Emily mikwa
Governor Nyong’o today hosted to a delegation from the State Department of Housing and Urban Development in collaboration with the Ministry of Devolution, the World Bank and the Council of Governors.
The team led by the Secretary for Urban and Metropolitan Development Eng. Benjamin Njenga and the Kenya Urban Support Program Coordinator, Dr. Charles K’Onyango were in the town to deliberate on the preparations of a new program KIDUSP, that is to succeed KUSP and the KDSP with a focus on urban development.
Kisumu County is one among Siaya, Jericho, Kwale and Tharakanithi Counties selected by the program preparation team for consultations which are anticipated to provide feedback that will assist in finalizing the ongoing preparations.
Earlier in the morning before meeting the top County and City Officials, the team paid a courtesy call to Governor, Professor Nyong’o in his office where they commended his administration for prudent use of funds that has resulted into a remarkable transformation of Kisumu city status.
While addressing the County and City officers at the Royal City Gardens Hotel in Milimani Kisumu, Eng. Njenga thanked Governor Nyong’o for the warm reception. He reiterated that Governor Nyong’o is well versed with the program and knows what he wants for a legacy in the next five years.
Adding that in their discussions, Professor Nyong’o is committed to the mechanisms to be carried out by the two levels of governments and even working together during implantation of the new program.
Eng. Benjamin Njenga called on the Officers to hold candid discussions on issues that will help improve the program moving forward, by learning from best practices of KDSP and KUSP. He expressed confidence that Kisumu will lead in performance two years consecutively.
He challenged them to take advantage of Governor Nyong’o’s Chairmanship for Urban Committee in the Council of Governors, such that the deliberations of the two days meeting can be presented to him so that he can assist in articulating the findings to the CoG.
On his part, The KUSP Coordinator, Dr Charles K’Onyango noted Kisumu that is among the fastest growing urban areas manifested in its formality surrounded with growing towns such as Ahero, Muhoroni, Katito, Maseno. He said it’s growing in a web spatial frame which is important in coordinating urban growth.
He stated that Kisumu under the KUSP received UDS $1.4 billion which were prudently used. Moving to a new program KIDUSP, he said it is the successor of KUSP 1 and KDSP. The new program rides on KUP2 which is the successor of KenUp 1 with allocation of USD $1billion Program where KUSP funded USD $ 300million under Kenya Urban Support Program
Other programs under the KenUp included KfW funded by German, a program on social infrastructure that saw schools built in Kisumu, and AfDB funded trade under the KUP which fall under the bigger framework.
The new program KIDUSP, he said its objective is to strengthen institutional capacity and improve urban services delivery and private sector engagement. The program has four key result areas which include: strengthening institution for municipal service delivery, urban resilience, service delivery capacities and improved private sector engagement.
The program scope will be at the two level of governments, both national and county levels with their roles well cut out. It is scheduled to run from FY 2023/ 2028 where 45 counties are eligible for urban grants. The program implementation structure he said will remain as in the previous one but organized around the four key result areas.
Currently, the Coordinator Dr. K’Onyango said the program is still in the initial stages but moving forward, performance standards and commission will endorse minimum conditions and performance standards to help unlock and ensure effective performance and service delivery of the four key result areas.
The program has three types of grants namely: Institutional grants which deals with finance, institution development and capacity building activities. Secondly, is the urban development grant or base grant which is at 75%of the whole program grant and thirdly, urban development challenge grant or excellent grant that will be awarded to the best performing urban entities in three counties.
