The Government has welcomed a $150 million (Sh16.2billion) credit from the International Development Association of the World Bank for the continued upgrading of informal settlements in select urban areas across the country.
The funds will be used to finance the second phase of the Kenya Informal Settlements Improvement Project (KISIP) that is focused on improving living conditions and livelihoods in informal settlements.
This will be done through an integrated approach comprising infrastructure upgrading, strengthening tenure security, enhancing socio-economic inclusion and supporting institutional as well as policy development.
Approximately 1.7 million urban poor in are set to benefit from these interventions.
“We are very delighted to receive this support from the World Bank that will go a long way in enabling us to improve informal settlements in our urban spaces and in so doing spur social and economic development and bring those populations into the mainstream economy,” said CS National Treasury, Ukur Yattani.
The credit terms have a maturity of 30 years including a five-year grace period.
James Macharia, Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development under whose ministry the project is domiciled, said the roll out of KISIP 2 will enable both the national and county governments reduce the number of slums in the country, lift millions of people out of poverty and restore their dignity.
“The Project will enhance their quality of life by providing basic services that will ensure that households have access to sanitation and safe water which will in turn reduce communicable diseases; we will provide roads and footpaths that will improve mobility and access to those settlements as well as high mast lighting that will enhance security and spur economic activities,” CS Macharia said.
KISIP 2, which is envisaged to run for 5 years, will build on the successes of KISIP 1 which saw 1.4 million lives directly and positively impacted across 14 counties.
“We will go into KISIP 2 with great insights and positive experiences that we have drawn from KISIP 1 on informal settlements upgrading. These funds are therefore a major shot in the arm for the Government and particularly the State Department because we now have an opportunity to continue transforming the lives of our people in slums who often feel neglected and marginalized,” SDHUD Principal Secretary Charles Hinga added.
The benefiting counties will be selected on the basis of their informal settlements that have met the selection criteria. County governments and respective communities will play a critical role in the implementation of this program.
