Mudavadi arrives in Baku, Azerbaijan for the World Urban Forum

Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi has arrived in Baku, Azerbaijan, as an advance Kenyan delegation to attend the World Urban Forum 13 (WUF13) between May 17th-22nd.

Themed “Housing the world: Safe and resilient cities and communities”, the forum brings together world leaders, policy makers and stakeholders in the Housing sector to shine a global spotlight on the urgent need to address the global housing crisis.

The global leaders will also seek to position housing as a driver of inclusive, resilient and sustainable urban development.

According to Mudavadi, the time has come to move from conversation to execution on housing, noting that it was imperative to deliberate on strategic urban planning.

"Kenya, and Africa’s urbanisation is accelerating at an unprecedented pace, and the time to move from conversation to execution is now."

Mudavadi has previously emphasised the urgent need to translate dialogue into actionable strategies and bankable projects that will shape the continent’s cities for generations.

The WUF13 comes just a month after Nairobi hosted African Heads of States and Government, policymakers, urban planners, development partners, private sector leaders, and international experts for the Second Africa Urban Forum (AUF2) to discuss financing, governance, technology, and climate resilience.

Mudavadi argues that projections indicate that Africa’s urban population will double from 700 million to 1.4 billion by 2050.

“Within a single generation, our cities will absorb hundreds of millions of new residents,” Mudavadi said.

He warned that urban growth, if left unmanaged, could worsen housing deficits, overstretched public services, air pollution, and climate-related risks.

"These challenges are compounded by constrained fiscal space, weak governance structures, and limited access to long-term and innovative financing through a reflection on Kenya’s own urban development journey."

According to Mudavadi, Kenya has gone through a very interesting episode to reach where it is now under the affordable housing programme championed by President William Ruto, appreciating difficulties in mobilising resources for large-scale housing and infrastructure projects.