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NAIROBI GOVERNOR EVANS KIDERO INAUGURATION SPEECH My fellow Nairobians, invited guests, your honor the presiding judge,

, friends, ladies and gentlemen: I do not have the words to express my gratitude to the Nairobi voters who have placed me in this history-making position. No doubt, as long as devolution remains an aspect of our Constitution, many Kenyans will experience the joy that goes with the privilege of taking the oath of office to become the Governor of our beautiful City of Nairobi County. But no one coming after me will share the joy of taking that oath as the first Governor of our great county. That is a historic privilege for which I will always remain grateful to you, the voters of the City of Nairobi County. May it suffice for me to simply say: thank you, thank you thank you very much! Similar words of gratitude go to all members of my campaign team, my family, and all the people who supported me in various capacities to realize the campaign victory which has led to this illustrious occasion. Those who are familiar with the history of the City of Nairobi will remember that this city forced its way to become a significant landmark in this region. Our colonial masters did not intend to build a city in this neighborhood. But, out of the necessity to have a resting place on the way to Uganda, they established a depot in the place we now call Nairobi to serve the Kenya-Uganda railway. By its sheer beauty and attractiveness, Nairobi ensured that those who

had intended to use it as a mere stop-over did not leave it. By 1900 it had acquired the status of a town in a geographical location that the Maasai had long branded as a special place because of its cool waters. However, those who established the town had not intended it to serve the interests of the Maasai or, for that matter, any African groups. It was largely meant to serve the interests of the colonial settler community, but just as Nairobi had forced its own recognition, so did the indigenous African communities that rushed to Nairobi in search of opportunities to make their lives better. That recognition came in the 1920s when the first residential estates for Africans were built in Nairobi, featuring especially Eastleigh and Shauri Moyo. That is today a very distant past for most of us, who only got to know Nairobi as the city in the sun, a shining example of urban development in the East and Central African Region. Historical records show us that Nairobi was granted its city status in 1950 through a Royal Charter by the British Colonial administration during its jubilee celebration. We grew up feeling proud of our identification with our city. However, as time went by we began to realize that our great city had tremendous challenges. Today, the politics of Nairobi revolves around our desire to address those challenges. As we start our journey towards making Nairobi a better city for all of us, we face the challenge of having the right staff that is well remunerated and motivated to provide better services to Nairobians.

Indeed, our list of challenges is long , including our current lack of capacity to manage solid waste; insufficient infrastructure development; and poor public transport management systems. To that, we may also add our dilapidated health, social and educational facilities; our largely unserviced informal settlements accounting for 60% of city residents; and the lack of support systems for small scale businesses. As we are all aware, this list is not exhaustive. We could have made it longer by mentioning, among others, the perennial problem of youth unemployment and, in general, the overwhelming demand for service without commensurate capacity for the County to provide the same. As we reflect on these challenges , we must see them in the context of the functions and powers of county governments as outlined in the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution of Kenya 2010. Thus, constitutionally, some of our major functions include: county health services; and county and transport; childcare trade development Others and regulation; homecraft pre-primary education, village polytechnics, include

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agriculture, maintaining a clean environment, cultural activities, animal control, and county planning and development. In addition to these, we have responsibilities in the areas of fire fighting services and disaster management, control of drugs and pornography, ensuring and coordinating participation in governance at the local level, and the implementation of specific national government policies on natural resources and environmental conservation.

The fourth schedule as summarized above, together with its details as provided in the Constitution of Kenya 2010, defines the scope of our work and, by implication, the expectations of the residents of Nairobi regarding what my county government should deliver. It is, therefore, appropriate at this stage that I make some remarks on my vision for Nairobi, and especially what I intend to give urgent attention in my first 100 days as Governor of the City of Nairobi County. To place my remarks in the right context, it is proper that I start by acknowledging the role of Nairobi in driving Kenyas national dreams. Nairobi plays a central role in defining what is possible and what is not possible in Kenyas economic ambitions. In spite of the debates on the exact figures, Nairobis contribution to Kenyas GDP lies somewhere between 50% and 60%. This means that the achievement of Kenyas development blueprint, vision 2030, depends fundamentally on what happens in Nairobi. We, as residents of the City of Nairobi County , must demonstrate acute awareness of our responsibility in pushing forward Kenyas development agenda. Our own development thinking must be made harmonious with the countrys major development strategies as outlined in Vision 2030 and goals. Thinking along these lines, we are determined to ensure that the City of Nairobi County will make significant contributions to the the international guidelines contained in the millennium development

attainment of Kenyas social, economic, and political pillars as defined in Vision 2030.

For example, with regard to the economic pillar , what we do in Nairobi can achieve much in promoting tourism, establishing markets for wholesale and retail trade, and positioning ourselves as a major destination for Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), especially considering our advantages in the availability of skilled labour and relatively superior infrastructure. No doubt, with greater determination and strategic thinking, we can increase our leadership in both areas. We can make our young people more competent in market-oriented skills and place our infrastructure way above average in the region. Concerning the social pillar, we can make Nairobi a shining example of what good leadership can achieve, with the cooperation of development-conscious citizens, in the areas of education and training; the health sector; water and sanitation; the environment; housing and urbanization; the promotion of gender equity, youth empowerment and the interests of vulnerable groups. Above all, a key component of Nairobis leadership in the social pillar must be a sustained effort to champion Kenyas war against poverty. Nairobis challenge in spearheading Kenyas journey towards the achievement of Vision 2030 is perhaps most formidable in the political pillar. We must strive to make Nairobi a shining example in promoting the rule of law, following the prescribed electoral and political processes, and enhancing democracy and

public service delivery. Similarly, Nairobi must play a leading role in promoting a culture of transparency and accountability, ensuring security for our people and our visitors, establishing peace building mechanisms, and embracing conflict management as a strategy for the peaceful coexistence of our culturally diverse communities and interest groups. Our responsibility to work in harmony with the countrys development blueprint touches on a larger responsibility to be sensitive to the international guidelines which inform our development agenda. In particular, a keen observance of our national development goals of necessity compels us to address the Millennium Development Goals, whose concerns are similar in spirit and substance to those I have already mentioned in connection with Vision 2030. For the sake of emphasis and greater clarity, allow me to restate these concerns as including eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, and promoting gender equality as well as empowering women. More concerns in this category include reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, and combating HIV and AIDS, malaria and other diseases. Last but not least, they include ensuring environmental sustainability and developing a global partnership for development. In addressing these concerns and many others pertaining to the day-to-day management of the affairs of the City of Nairobi County, my administration will be guided by core principles of our constitution and the related laws. In particular, I want to pledge my unwavering resolve to protect the Bill of Rights, promote the values of Leadership and Integrity enshrined in chapter six of our

Constitution and the Public Officer Ethics Act, and create the necessary environment for public participation in the management of the affairs of our county. Looking at the bigger picture, I am convinced that with competent and caring leadership we can deliver to the residents of Nairobi a better city and, in all respects, better life. I feel determined and inspired to lead Nairobi residents in realizing this vision.

Currently, the top-most concerns of Nairobi residents are about un-employment, insecurity, water, sanitation, housing, health and transport. They are also concerned about inter-ethnic relations, the needs and rights of women, children and persons with disability, not to mention the management of the citys resources. These are the issues that have shaped the pillars of my grand vision for our county. No doubt, as Governor of the City of Nairobi County, I will make every effort to deliver on all aspects of public life assigned to a county government by the Constitution of Kenya 2010. However, my energies will be focused on seven critical delivery areas, which are the pillars of my vision for our great city. In the first pillar of my vision for Nairobi, I see a better city, where the residents enjoy better health, better water and better sanitation. Among other things, this will entail redesigning standpipe networks in the city to make it possible for poorer households to obtain adequate amounts of safe water in their

homes; reducing leakages, bursts and malpractices in water connections; providing suitable facilities, such as discharge channels with easy access points to improve connectivity to the sewer mains; and thoroughly reviewing the availability, distribution, staffing and equipment of all health facilities and services in the city so as to ensure their adequacy for the needs of the residents of Nairobi. Secondly, I see a city of Nairobi where residents enjoy better services in transport, housing and infrastructure. We can achieve this by thinking creatively about our options, which include improving housing and living conditions in Nairobi by putting in place enabling housing strategies through appropriate public-private partnerships; encouraging and enabling low-income households to save and invest for the incremental development of their housing; enacting county laws and establishing administrative procedures for the provision of less costly housing to the poor; carefully planning land use and transportation arrangements in order to increase access to schools, businesses, and other places of work and social activities; improving and expanding existing road infrastructure and promoting non-motorized transport; ensuring availability of parking lots at new developments; encouraging multi-level civic parking in the city centre; and enhancing the ongoing efforts to create a comfortable pedestrian culture in Nairobi. In the third pillar of my vision for Nairobi , I see a city with better security and better inter-ethnic relations. We will realize this aspect of our vision by putting in place new measures, including greater police visibility in the city; creating employment

programmes involving labour intensive technologies to occupy the youth and keep them away from criminal activities; ensuring adequate street and neighborhood lighting to reduce insecurity; making it a legal requirement for developers to include security lighting in their premises; putting in place peace-building structures and processes for the promotion of dialogue among different communities; working with the youth, community leaders and law enforcement agencies to eliminate outlawed militia groups from the city; and putting in place appropriate rehabilitation programmes to support behaviour change efforts among the youth and street families. The fourth pillar of my vision for Nairobi focuses on creating a city where citizens enjoy better facilities and opportunities for early education and youth development. Realizing this aspect of my vision entails, among other things: ensuring access and utilization of the available early education and youth development services within the learners residential areas; establishing standards for pre-school education and youth development services in the City of Nairobi County; negotiating areas of cooperation with the national government to ensure the delivery of quality education and youth development services in the city; establishing a policy framework for working with development partners for the benefit of the youth; and putting in place a way of ensuring that all policy measures to facilitate the improvement of early childhood education and youth development services are implemented within a clearly defined time frame.

In the fifth pillar of my vision for Nairobi , I visualize a better city and better life for Nairobi residents with respect to enterprise development and employment creation. My efforts in this direction will include: reducing the time needed to obtain a license to start a business; privatizing some aspects of our public-service delivery; ensuring that tax revenues are efficiently collected and transparently spent for the stated purposes; using technology to minimize human contact between taxpayers and the relevant county government officials; emphasizing the provision of market-driven technical training for the youth to acquire marketable skills; promoting customer-friendly credit access and information systems within the county; and generally eliminating or reducing the constraints and bottlenecks that slow-down both investment, innovation and growth. In the sixth pillar of my vision for Nairobi , I see a city in which those of us in positions of authority pay better attention to the needs and rights of women, children and persons with disability. My efforts towards realizing this vision will include: establishing a Bill of Rights Oversight Committee to investigate and recommend ways of ensuring our adherence to the constitutional provisions touching on the rights of women, children and persons with disability; ensuring that gender parity is reflected in all administrative structures of the City of Nairobi County; putting in place the necessary legal and administrative mechanisms to ensure that persons with disability get the treatment and facilities accorded them by the constitution; ensuring that children get the kind of care and other types of treatment due to them as prescribed by the constitution; and

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always striving to create an environment conducive to the wellbeing of women, children and persons with disability, especially in our transport, building, work, and health system arrangements.

Finally, in the seventh pillar of my vision for Nairobi , I see a City where residents enjoy better life arising from better management of their citys resources. I will strive to realize this

aspect of my vision for Nairobi by, among other things: thoroughly re-examining for implementation aspects of the Government of Kenyas 2008 Nairobi Metropolitan Development Plan which fall within the City of Nairobi County; developing an integrated road and rail infrastructure for the county to provide an efficient mass transport system; progressively replacing informal settlements with affordable low cost housing; developing and enforcing appropriate planning and zoning regulations; preparing a physical plan for the Nairobi County with due regard to the executive/legislative authority of the county; protecting and developing Nairobis forests, water bodies and river-bank areas into safe and environment-friendly tourism, recreational and commercial attractions ; developing efficient water supply and waste management infrastructure; identifying and implementing strategic projects and programmes requiring support by the county government; promoting the City of Nairobi County as a regional and global services centre; and establishing a sustainable funding framework for the development of identified urban and metropolitan areas within the county. Ladies and gentlemen, fellow Nairobians , it is my passion to see this vision, in the dimensions of its seven pillars, become a

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reality for every Nairobi resident. To this end, I will dedicate my first 100 days in office to some of the most urgent aspects of the vision, by directing my energies to: Getting the garbage out of the City streets and its residential districts; Restoring order in the traffic flow in Nairobi, and human traffic on CBD streets; Decongesting the city in general, and CBD in particular; Controlling crime, and enhancing security and city planning; Increasing trade between Nairobi and other counties; Increasing enterprise and employment opportunities; and Maximizing collection of county fees and licenses, to improve and widen the revenue base. Similar efforts will be directed at: Increasing affordable food supply to Nairobians; Improving transportation; Saving on man-hour wastages; Increasing county enterprises and income; Increasing youth enterprise; and Increasing the energy supply to Nairobi and the national electricity grid. In broad terms, my efforts will be directed at initiating early and swift action towards realizing our vision of a Better City for Better Life, in other words initiating the journey towards delivering to Nairobians a world class city.

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Ladies and gentlemen, this journey, as I have outlined it today, is certainly long and may look tiresome to the faint-hearted. However, we must face it with courage and make the necessary initial steps and personal sacrifices. As human beings, and especially as leaders, we have to dream big, plan meticulously, work tirelessly, and hope that God will be on our side. Thank you. God bless you, and God bless our City of Nairobi County, Governor Evans Kidero.

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