President William Ruto will today, Tuesday, preside over the launch of the second Kenya Urban Support Program (KUSP2).
Spearheaded by the government with support from the World Bank, the project is strategically designed to fortify urban institutions' capacities, thereby enhancing the delivery and resilience of urban infrastructure and services.
It also aims to catalyze greater private sector engagement in urban planning processes, amplifying the program's impact on sustainable urban growth.
One of the key focal points of KUSP2 is its commitment to supporting the transition of refugee camps into integrated host communities and refugee settlements.
Aligned with this encompassing objective, the project will support reforms, interventions, and actions in five Results Areas (RAs).
These are strengthened institutions for urban service delivery and integrated planning for inclusive and resilient urban areas.
Other RAs are more inclusive and resilient urban services and infrastructure, improved private sector engagement and improved integrated development for refugees and host communities.
The program for results (PforR) will support some elements of the government program.
Expanding on the groundwork established by KUSP1, this second phase represents a continuation of efforts to bolster Kenya's urban landscape.
KUSP1 focused on providing capacity building and institutional support to 45 counties.
This targeted approach aim to address the lack of dedicated institutions for urban management, which poses significant challenges to effective urban development.
It was informed by the fact that counties lack capacities to address urban development challenges as there are no dedicated institutions for urban management.
Direct financial assistance was extended to 59 municipal boards within these counties.
Nairobi and Mombasa being the major cities were excluded.
KUSP is an initiative of the government being implemented with the support from the World Bank.
The program is part of a wider Kenya Urban Program (KenUP).
