Youths demand say in urban planning

Nairobi Expressway

The Nairobi Expressway which is under construction.

Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group

As the world projects towards creating an empowered youthful population with jobs and an improved livelihood, more youths are migrating to cities and major towns in search of better lives.

However, many of them end up living in low-income settlements where social infrastructure and mandatory utilities are poorly provided, but where the cost of living is more affordable as they try eking a living.

Eventually, such places become more populated, and with strained resources, they create competition for basic needs such as housing, water, sanitation, well-planned security, transport system, waste management and disposal.

Mike Okoth, a taxi driver was born in Mukuru. He remembers the only main public school, Kwa Njenga Primary School, was not able to accommodate all pupils.

This led to enslaving of parents, who had to seek admission of their pupils in private schools. With meagre income, fees in those schools remained out of reach for most of the parents, leading to high school dropouts.

“The youth are now urging for better urban planning for comfortable livelihood in future. We cannot live in badly planned environment as well as our children,” says the father of two.

Jacob Omondi from Ghetto Foundation in Mathare, Nairobi, says lack of youth representation at the County level has brought forth politically initiated policies that do not focus on the youth.

“At the County Assembly, we should have youth representation in the same way we have a Women Representative at Parliament. That’s the only way that our voices can be heard with impact,” adds Omondi, leader of the Social Justice arm of the foundation.

“Even though devolution is the right way to address issues at the grassroots, most of the youth live on a hand-to-mouth economy. This means that, if a government official has called for a forum to discuss pertinent issues affecting them, the youths do not attend as they are busy eking a living for survival. It is only fair that we should have youth represented all the time so that their voice can be heard. I have witnessed cases where the youths are called to a chief, MCA or MP sitting, but few turn up because of personal economic reasons,” explains Omondi.

Express planning

To deal with effective communication problems, Omondi proposes that, leaders should create online meeting points (social online forums) where youth can participate in debates without the risk of being condemned unheard because they have not attended a physical meeting.

Dr Romanus Opiyo, Sustainable Urbanisation Programme Leader at the Stockholm Environment Institute Africa Centre, warns that the more the current leadership does not engage youths in planning, the more it segregates their needs for future urban development.

“Urban plans are futuristic and youth as future pillars of society, are projected to address the future generations’ needs. The Kenya Constitution and the Physical and Land Use Planning Act (PLUPA) express planning as participatory progress where youths are seen as important stakeholders,” states Dr Opiyo, also a lecturer, department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Nairobi.

Besides current leaders creating policies that address the youths’ needs in urban settlements, the youth themselves must also demand their space by participating fully in social and economic forums whenever they are called upon to do so.

Mostly, undesirable urban development, which does not address future generations’ needs, stems from misallocation of land and land uses, which limits urban spaces where the youth can freely interact and participate in socio-economic welfare.

“They should work hand-in-hand with devolution teams to safeguard their community resources and ensure proposed land developments are implemented accordingly. This is one of the most fundamental ways in which they can actively participate to protect community spaces from land grabbers and to ensure there is responsible governance during planning,” adds the don.

Wafula Nabutola, Chairman, Building Registration Surveyors Board, says that well-coordinated planning from the grassroots to the national level is a catalyst for promoting peace, cohesion and stability within communities.

Nabutola, an associate professor with 13 years as a lecturer on leadership and governance at the Kenya School of Government, explains that planning is an aspect of good governance, which creates economic opportunities for all levels of citizens.

Nabutola, who served as the third chairman of the Nairobi Central Business District Association (NCBDA) between 2005 and 2008, warns about failed planning for Nairobi City in the past and urges leaders to embrace good virtues during planning, for collective socio-economic development.

“When we started NCBDA to lobby for change, the city centre was a no-go zone because of crime. Roads and streets were rundown, garbage heaps were so many, and generally, there were poor services by the administration,” recalls Nabutola.

This followed the Nairobi City Commission’s 10-year (March 1983-December 1992) inability to plan and manage a city whose population was rapidly growing.