COVID-19 Provides An Opportunity To Improve Urban Services In Kenya

The advent of COVID 19 has caused many governments to re-think models of service delivery as a result of the relationship of the disease and environmental conditions. The national government piloted an expanded public works programme in eight counties most affected by the disease, and later expanded the programme to cover all the counties in phase two.

This is a big illustration of the welfarist tendencies of a responsible government, and the activities includes: street sweeping and cleaning, drainage unclogging and cleaning, fumigation and bush clearing, and it has further expanded to include a component of legacy projects, which focuses on installation of projects with bigger impacts, all of which have provided incomes to youths, hence has kept them from engaging in unproductive lifestyles.

Counties should utilize these times to focus on the provision of basic municipal services which includes portable water, sanitation, health care, firefighting, storm water management in the built up areas, solid waste management, construction of municipal roads and electricity connections. These are among the 14 functions devolved to counties as per schedule IV part II of the constitution of Kenya, 2010.

The pandemic, though a crisis of monumental proportions, has two sides: danger because of the destruction to our economies, and an opportunity to make our counties strive to improve their environments. Development of these core municipal services will have a bigger impact on the lives of citizens and enhance the capacity of counties to effectively manage emergence of future pandemics, which are bound to increase because of the increasing rates of climate change and related interferences with the environment by urbanization.

A study of ancient urban areas has shown that mayors specialized in development of core basic services. The Romans had developed public baths, toilets and aqueducts, while mayors in France other European sovereigns developed public lighting systems, all of which were designed to enhance the quality of life for their people. Implementation of these programs can also get lots of support as such a time like these and also create jobs to engage the people.