County partners with JKuat to plan estates
Nairobi county government will start hiring architects from a local university to help in the planning of estates.
This follows the signing of an MoU between the county government and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), spelling out a structured collaboration between the two institutions.
It means that the city’s facelift will be conducted with research on urban planning sourced from the university through its Centre for Urban Studies.
There will also be collaboration in training on governance and sharing of professionals, including architects and the county academia.
According to Governor Evans Kidero, the move would promote local talent instead of sourcing services from overseas.
“We want to cooperate on research and knowledge to tap into JKUAT’s resources on urban planning. This will also breed homegrown skills and talents,” he said.
The governor said houses in some city estates, especially in Eastlands, had been run down and it would be better to construct new ones than do repairs.
The city is currently undergoing the first phase of an integrated development plan funded by the Japanese government. The county government rolled out public and community participation last week. It was seeking views from the public on how best to restructure Nairobi.
Dr Kidero added that the partnership JKUAT would see the county offer slots of internship for students from the institution.