NAIROBI, Kenya: July 11 (Xinhua) — East African governments are committed to speedy implementation of slum upgrading initiatives to secure affordable shelter for the urban poor.
The East African cities are grappling with informal and unregulated human settlements due to rapid population growth occasioned by rural to urban migration.
“Kenya has accelerated the implementation of flagship slum improvement projects to improve livelihoods and contribute to social and economic development,” Kenya’s Permanent Secretary Tirop Kosgey said in the Kenya’s Ministry of Housing.
Kosgey spoke during the East African Regional Conference on Approaches to Informal Settlements Upgrading held in Nairobi on Wednesday. Kenya is among African countries with the highest population living in slums.
According to the Country’s 2009 census, of the 18 million Kenyans in urban areas, two thirds live in slums.The government in partnership with development partners has rolled out flagship slum upgrading projects in major cities.
Experts say towns and cities are growing today at unprecedented rates setting the social, political, cultural and environmental trends of the world, both good and bad.They say sustainable urbanization is one of the most pressing challenges facing the global community in the 21st century.
According to Kosgey, implementation of the Kenya Slum Upgrading Project (KESUP) and the Kenya Informal Settlements Improvement Project is on course.
“The projects addresses housing, infrastructure and cross- cutting health and environmental issues to improve livelihoods,” said Kosgey.
He stressed that completion of the slum upgrading projects will set the pace in provision of affordable housing for the less privileged. The government has allocated 12 million dollars towards the Kenya slum upgrading project targeting 250,000 people in Kibera.
Kosgey revealed that this project will be completed by 2015 and involve construction of low cost modern houses, paved roads and social amenities including schools, hospitals and play grounds.
The East African region could experience a tipping point in slums expansion due to a rural urban influx. Officials acknowledge that East African states are experiencing one of the highest growths in slums estimated at 5 percent annually.
Commissioner, Urban Development from Uganda, Sam Mabala, noted that an average of 65 percent of urban population in the East African cities live in slums.
“Eastern Africa is among regions lagging behind in curbing the growth of slums and improving the living conditions of slum dwellers while Asia leads the pack in best practices,” said Mabala.
Uganda has experienced rapid urbanization and currently 19 percent of the countries’ 33 million people are in cities. Mabala revealed that 60 percent of urban population in Uganda is living in deplorable conditions in shanties.
“Emergence of slums fuelled by rural- urban influx bodes ill for economic, political and social stability in Uganda and other East African States,” said Mabala.
He called on governments in the East African region to roll out innovative and low cost housing schemes to alleviate slums in urban centers. Edward Kyazze, the Director of Housing, Rwanda, disclosed that public private partnerships have promoted access to affordable shelter for the poor in Rwanda.
“Effective slum upgrading requires financing, institutional capacity building and scaling up of successful local projects,” Kyazze said.
Experts agreed that progressive policies and legislation alongside appropriate technologies are key to development of low cost shelter for the urban poor.(Xinhua)
