Implementation of the New Urban Agenda - A Kenyan University Implementation Framework

Urban areas especially cities are now home to slightly more than half of the world’s seven billion people. Current urbanization trends indicate that an additional three billion people will be living in urban areas by 2050, increasing the urban share of the world’s population to two-thirds. In the Kenyan situation according to available data from KNBS by 2050, about 50 per cent the population in Kenya will be living in the cities and by 2030, Nairobi will have about 6 million people. In 2010 the Constitution created 47 devolved County governments. This has greatly influenced urbanization within the counties. Urbanization in Kenya comes with its own problems. The current era of rapid urbanization has been marred with inadequacy of capacity and sometimes resources to match urban development needs. In many regions, urbanization is characterized by lack of adequate infrastructure, poor housing, inadequate plans, lack of effective legislations and financing mechanisms, etc., attributes that hinder shared urban prosperity. The Habitat III conference in October 2016 gave the UN-Habitat the responsibility to monitor and report on the implementation of the New Urban Agenda (NUA). This was to be in line with reporting the urban dimensions requirements for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Kenya fully participated at the above conference through a broad-based representation from the National government, country governments, the civil society, professionals and the academic community among others. As a result there was resolution by Kenya to implement the New Urban Agenda at all levels in collaboration with all the relevant stakeholders to achieve sustainable urban and human settlements development. The Universities in Kenya as stakeholders are now embarking on a strategy to enable them achieve the objectives of the new urban agenda. They also have a bigger role to play because the increasing demand for university education has led to the growth of urban areas in the counties which are now referred to as university towns. This paper will review various efforts undertaken by universities to implement the new urban agenda. In its recommendation the paper suggests an implementation framework that fits within the five principles identified by the New Urban Agenda. These principles include: the National Urban Policy, the Rules and Regulations, the Urban Planning and Design, Financing Urbanization and Local Implementation of NUA. These principles are in line with the SDGs on human settlements. The SDGs that is relevant is SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities.