The first ever Kenya National Urban Forum will be held in Naivasha, Nakuru county between 14th and 16th June 2023, under the theme “strategic pathways to inclusive and sustainable urbanization in Kenya” and “the future is urban” slogans. According to the 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census (KPHC), 31.2 percent of Kenyans or 14.8 million Kenyans out of 47 million live in urban areas, of which 40 percent live in slums and informal settlements. This is a clear manifestation of failure of urban land markets and hence inadequate access to housing, which will increase if urban land issues are not addressed sufficiently. By 2030, more than half of Kenyans will be living in urban areas and evidenced by the fact that there are over 372 urban areas – markets, towns, municipalities and cities and an urban population growth rate of 4.9 percent according to the KPHC.
The urban land issue is a two-edged continuum – one hand is the effect of colonialism in the distribution of land and segregation of different races in urban areas; and on the other hand, failure or existence of challenges in the land administration and management in urban areas. Urban land has socio, economic and political value, and forms the basis for the establishment of urban and human settlements. The access or lack of it to urban land for different uses is a recipe for conflicts among stakeholders, hence urban areas are theatres of different conflicts. Some of these are conflicts between hawkers and other informal sectors on one hand and the urban authorities and county officials; informal mode of transportation (matatu) operators and the urban authorities and county officials; private land developers and the slum/squatter settlers; street children, beggars and the urban authorities and county government officials; trade unions, the under-employed and the un-employed youths and the urban authorities and county government officials; politics of social and utility or amenity provisions and the urban and county officials; and public land grabbing by the rich in urban areas.
To address the issue of slums and informal settlements, urban authorities will have to improve urban governance, planning, deigning and provision of various urban services. Addressing land rights and tenure through secure land and housing rights for urban residents will be central in addressing urban developments and hence reduction of slums in urban areas. Effective urban land tenure facilitates – social inclusion and equity; financial sustainability; physical planning; peace building and conflict prevention; economic progress; environmental sustainability; and national building Dr. Mutegi Giti, Urban management, Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) & Environment Specialist. mutegigiti@gmail.com, @DanielGiti.
Dr. Daniel Mutegi Giti 
Dr. Mutegi Giti’s article gazetted is an informative one based on the perspective that the country really needs to find remedies to urbanisation and progressive socio-economic growth. In areas like slums,crime and environmental issues are the key quintessential factors that needs to be discussed broadly in all urban areas equally. It will be also very superfluous if the Forum don’t find solutions to economic and urban land planning because this are issues that hinder eradication of poverty levels in urban areas. If tranquility is found in urban areas then the other socioeconomic dimensional values will increase positively. To the lovers of knowledge we Kenyans need to increase the proximity to Dr’s articles and the government need to fund the outcome from the Forum on urbanisation.
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