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By Staff Writer
The Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK) has expressed the need to have efficient and robust e-government systems to ensure effective service delivery and as a key enabler of the built environment.
This year’s convention theme ‘A Holistic Approach to Urban Governance’ is aimed at discussing and highlighting key issues within the built environment as well as providing actionable and practical solutions that can be adopted. The event was officially opened by H.E Hon Kivutha Kibwana, Governor Makueni County.
His H.E. Governor Kivutha Kibwana began his speech by highlighting statistics from a UN report that predicts that Africa’s population of over 1.3 billion will more than double in number by the year 2050 and 80% of those will be in cities, particularly in the slums.
“Kenya has been pinpointed as one of Africa’s fastest-growing cities whose population has doubled over the last 25 years. It has been estimated that over the next 40 years, Kenya’s population will grow by 1 million every year which translates to 3,000 people every day and about 22 people every hour. In fact, by 2058, we will be about 100 million people in our country,” added the Governor.
The Governor observed that the effects of urbanization were now being felt with most pressure being to provide basic services and infrastructure to areas that a few years ago were considered as the hinterland.
He stressed the need to think sustainably while planning for the growth of urban areas. “The sustainability of our urban areas therefore can only be realized through a shared dream by all stakeholders but the professionals like you must play a key role.” Urged the Governor.
In his speech, the convention host, AAK President Wilson Mugambi stressed the need for the national and county governments to improve the existing systems as well as fully automate other government services and systems in order to achieve sustainable development.
“The themes to be addressed in these discussions shall give an insight into how government (local, regional and national) stakeholders decide how to plan, finance and manage urban areas; since urban governance is a continuous process of negotiation and contestation over allocation of social and material resources and political power” he added.