By Jerry Okal and Rosebella Apollo
On 7 February 2025, ACRC convened more than 100 stakeholders in Nairobi to officially launch the city’s foundation phase report. This report brings together diverse perspectives on Nairobi’s urban trajectory, offering an in-depth analysis of the political dynamics that drive urban change and examining the key city systems influencing access to services across the city.
During the foundation phase, between 2020 and 2024, ACRC worked in partnership with city-based researchers to conduct studies in Nairobi. The research team embarked on an inquiry to generate insights around the challenges affecting urban development and identify practical pathways for catalysing change in Nairobi, especially for disadvantaged communities living in urban informal settlements. This collaborative exercise involved meaningful engagement of stakeholders, including community organisations, researchers, practitioners, key state actors and non-state agencies.
A collaborative approach
At the report launch event, speakers from the government, academia and the private sector engaged with the report findings, emphasising the need for a collaborative approach to tackle the numerous challenges facing African cities. Their key question was: how can the integrated development of cities occur in this era of urban growth coupled with development challenges across Africa’s rapidly evolving landscapes?
It was noted that slow to minimal growth will be witnessed across African cities if the “business as usual” attitude persists. There is a critical need to create sustainable cities that work for everyone, with ACRC’s urban development research director Shuaib Lwasa suggesting that a mix of both skyscrapers and low-rise buildings could cater to the needs of everyone.
Physical versus “mental infrastructure”
To transform Africa’s development, it is imperative that we ask critical questions that are relevant to the continent, if we are to find answers for sustainable urban development. For example, what criteria should we use to measure urban development? This is a challenging question, inviting us to consider whether we should equate infrastructure development with civilisation.
Wale Akinyemi, a renowned urban specialist and a consultant in organisational culture and leadership, pointed to the significant challenge that arises when physical infrastructure progresses faster than shifting positive attitudes or the development of what he called “mental infrastructure”. He called for a shift in mindsets and attitudes about development, the need to acknowledge the challenges we are facing, and then to adopt an effective and visibly impactful transformational agenda – one that promotes meaningful change akin to the metamorphosis of a butterfly.
We need to move away from engaging in excessive or unnecessary activities at various stages of transformation, said Wale. Instead, we have to deliberately shift our approach to advancing people-centered development so that the physical infrastructure does not go to waste.
Planning for the future
Silvester Kasuku, advisor in the Governance Office of the Executive Office of the President, emphasised that to achieve its development goals, Kenya must integrate planning into all its decision-making processes. Funds allocated for planning are not wasted; rather, he stressed that planning is the fundamental driver and organiser of development. If the country does not plan for development, it will plan to fail. So there is a need to deepen and strengthen governance structure within government and to ensure that government and private sector work together for sustainable development.
Planner Mairura Omwenga, from the University of Nairobi, highlighted the reality that rapid population growth often does not coincide with the necessary infrastructural development, such as roads, housing, water and sewer systems. This gap is largely due to inadequate planning, duplicated efforts, lack of resources and insufficient data. For instance, some policy statements are either unsupported by data or rely on outdated information.
The road ahead
The launch of the Nairobi city foundation phase report went beyond merely presenting research findings; it served as a call to action. This report embodies a collective commitment to transforming Nairobi into a city that is inclusive, sustainable and resilient. By collaborating, stakeholders can ensure that the strategic pathways outlined in the report lead to progressive advancements for the city’s residents.
As Nairobi enters the implementation phase of the ACRC initiative, the insights and evidence gathered during the foundation phase will be vital in shaping the city’s future by galvanizing key sectors in the society. The four planned action research projects aim to tackle key urban challenges by utilising the knowledge co-produced with stakeholders to drive meaningful change. Successfully executing these projects will improve living conditions and urban services for Nairobi’s residents, especially those from disadvantaged communities.
Photo credits: Know Your City TV Kenya
Note: This article presents the views of the authors featured and does not necessarily represent the views of the African Cities Research Consortium as a whole.
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