Unplanned Nairobi Infrastructure & Buildings

The spat this week between the Kenya Government and various businesses about demolition of buildings along Mombasa road is not a surprise for anyone who was at the 2010 TEDxNairobi where Architectural Engineer Eric Kigada of Planning Systems Services spoke of the lack of a valid master plan for the City of Nairobi and the resultant chaos for building owners and his fellow professionals.

He said Nairobi had master plans drawn in 1948 and 1973, but this last one expired in 2000 and it was a city that would expand toward Thika side of town. Currently, the government, planners, and landowners operate in a vacuum with different departments and ministries having different maps and plans for road expansion and it’s not clear what routes they will follow or how large actual roads will be constructed. Government officers who won't commit approval in writing and there are unclear plans such as one extending the growth of Nairobi up to Namanga.

He advocates for digital maps (which exist) to be availed and used, transparency in the planning process, and most important a master plan that will be shared within the industry. He also spoke about his company’s other work such as revitalizing green spaces along the three Nairobi rivers and a proposal to utilize existing abandoned quarries to supply enough water for the Eastern half of Nairobi, but which the government authorities are yet to commit to.

Will the buildings, include the new Sameer Business Park and new Standard Newspapers Headquarters be brought down to expand the road? The Kenya Property Developers Association (KPDA) in a statement today called for urgent development and implementation of comprehensive master plan and a defined compensation plan for land and building owners if the Government goes ahead with demolitions to make way for necessary infrastructure improvements.

Twitter Week: KQ Strike and Equity Profit Dips

Twitter is a micro-blogging tool that is relly nifty for doing mini-posts, forwards and other remarks that (are on any subject) and are maybe not worthy of a full blog post. Here’s a summary of my week on Twitter:

- @coldtusker @kenentrepreneur the tea board of Kenya wishes to remind you that hawking of green tea leaf is
- Signed up too many usgov twitters to keep with #hilaryafrica. Will edit after her trip
- This is a good time for generator and diesel sale companies. I think there was a tax break for generator sales mentioned in uhuru's June budget speech. No power last night, or this afternoon: will ignore the power ration schedule as a work of fiction KPLC. As bad as Nairobians complain about #KPLC the water crisis is of more concern
- R/T @shiroh the Stanchart diva trip is such a deal. $1,000 for 5 (shopping) days in South Africa for Ladies (incl, flights, hotels)
- Ethiopian Airlines net profit was $118 million, revenue up 33% with new airbus & Boeing orders pending. R/T @Jellyfish78 Kenya Airways vs. Ethiopian Air on Youtube is an informative but nasty spat http://bit.ly/13N34f and http://bit.ly/CM7Np. Also Ethiopian Air to fly Addis-Mombasa (via Kilimanjaro) http://bit.ly/OHsGq
- Diasporans giving up on Kenya http://bit.ly/K78g7
- Tahidi High tackles the mystery of paraffin in high school food
- On CitizenTV Delamere family shot live video in court and in jail. How? Still it’s a good spot light on the archaic judiciary. Delamere’s say Kenyatta family owns their dairy now while neighbours want to grab their 56 000 acre farm. Tom delamere testimony live - shot two dogs with two shots and denies he shot the man who died. How did 'top lawyer' tom ojiambo allow this?
- R/T @milonare Impunity starts with you, remember that when you cut in traffic and feel nothing. We reflect our leaders #fractals #Kenya
- Barclays Kenya raising credit card rates to 3.0% (up from 2.5%) from next month
- r/t @mainat Banks have reduced lending not because of interest rates but poor prospects of recovering loans in an economy that has stalled
- @rookieKE if you bank with consolidated, you can transfer cash from A/C to Mpesa using your phone
- You can get to the top of KICC Nairobi for $2 http://www.mamamikes.com/bl... (Though I believe Times Tower is higher)
- r/t @highwayafrica09 Call for Nominations - SABC-Highway Africa New Media Awards. See http://highwayafrica.com
- R/T @LarryMadowo FYI Equity Bank H1 PBT down 15% on one-off transaction last yr related 2 Safaricom IPO, Q2 profits up 25%
- Blog job: write about blogging, social networking & social media from Asia, MidEast and African countries http://tinyurl.com/ljxmcp
- R/T @kachwanya TEAMs shareholders seem to be the confused - there is no onward connectivity between Europe and Dubai, where TEAMS ends!
- Kenya stockbrokers association (KASIB) launched investor education handbook today http://www.kasib.co.ke/
- So @kachwanya @kainvestor, Nairobi City Council earns 14sh ($0.2) for every flyer tossed out of a car window?
- R/T @alykhansatchu #Kenya new 234 item price basket will track mobile-#cellular and computers charges & #camel meat #inflation
- So many aviation colleges in Nairobi with unemployed graduates, these (striking)@kenyaairways workers should know this
- Spent 15min at Nakumatt queue while some afro-diplomats paid for groceries with us $. Their exchange rate is KES72 =$
- COTU's Francis Atwoli is going to brag about ending the #KQ strike, and coming through for workers.

Delta, Zain and KQ Tweet Around

and other Bank Twits
Twitter is a micro-blogging tool that is really nifty for doing mini-posts, forwards and other remarks that (are on any subject) and are maybe not worthy of a full blog post. Here’s a summary of the last few days on Twitter:

May 29
- @MauriYambo Kenya Co-op Bank directors shareholding Stinks http://bit.ly/EvI2d
- KTN’s Larry…. Madowo @larrymadowo on Twitter
- After a few drinks I discover I may be related to @kafai and @gishungwa! #TIA

May 30
- Morning traffic jams in Nairobi Kileleshwa. Spy some Apts being built into the river & fear that one day, river will rise & reclaim its banks
- Government of Kenya shot itself in foot with punitive alcohol tax. Spirit brewers going belly up, Uhuru should correct

May 31
- Happy birthday young @intelligensia

Jun 1
- @mwaikibaki will launch Kenya’s fibre optic cable this month
- @mwaikibaki says Kenya census starts august 24. Ends with his famous phrase, calls hecklers #pumbavu
- Cadbury seems to have discontinued my fave choc wafer, while alvaro is on sale - buy 5, get 1 free!

June 2
- Some Nairobi buildings were designed by Mario bros - with secret floors, VIP lifts, hidden entrances, hostile guards to negotiate
- Santander Bank may sponsor Ferrari next year - does that also make Alonso their new driver? http://tinyurl.com/mgukmu
- Does patient capitalist Jacqueline Novogratz @jnovogratz have the answer to the role of aid in development? http://tinyurl.com/q9llxb
- The African Union wants to set up an African Central Bank http://bit.ly/QcMav
- @TerryanneC Delta Airlines maiden flight earlier scheduled for tomorrow from Atlanta to Kenya postponed indefinitely
- If I had to subscribe to one magazine for life, it would be the Economist

June 3
- @coldtusker -even without airport CEO, artur, 1jet1 - US may want more than one airport checkpoint to filter passengers, so non-stop no go
- @mamboleo ranneberger welcomed delta in the news and was to officiate today. Mwakwere has been in US for a week waiting to fly
- @MIMImagazine new Sade album this year http://bit.ly/Ywv14
- What's wrong with Kenya airport Security? http://tinyurl.com/qmmem2
- Want to speak like Kenyan kids? - try the Sheng dictionary http://www.sheng.co.ke/kamu...
- Got an accurate shares statement by e-mail from CDSC Kenya - so my stockbroker is still honest

June 4
- Should companies care about what’s written about them online? http://bit.ly/oiYFw
- Former ministers and MP's mentioned in parliament as masterminds of some collapsed Kenya pyramid
- Michuki and Ruto top a NTV viewer poll of best performing ministers in Kenya. Ok... #Kenya

June 5
- @alykhansatchu "In September 2008, all hell broke loose, it fell like the Titanic" - Titus Naikuni Kenya Airways CEO
- @coldtusker Kenya Airways losing 4 billion after Zain's 7 billion loss, there's a lot of blood!

June 6
- Nairobi city council asking 100 shillings ($1.25) to photocopy each 100 words of new laws that will punish residents #FAIL
- Follow George Ayittey @ayittey for a harsh dose of Afro-reality
- JKIA arrival lounge - musician Jua Cali and Uganda leader Kizza Besige arrive unnoticed

June 7
- Button-Brawn wins turkey GP. Kenyan crowds are ABB - Anyone but Button
- @karuoro does XYZ fail for taking shots at politicos who are too funny to be imitated or is it the poor voices?

June 8
- Reading Africa confidential to see which way Gabon goes: Lady Senate president should succeed, but Bongo Jnr. is minister of defence
- Weekendgossip: Delta planned Nairobi route before they mergered with Northwest - who are KLM partners. KLM have invested for many years in Kenya Airways so does it make sense for Delta to fly to Nairobi?

June 9
- Why would Wanjiku Mugane quit the EABL Board? http://bit.ly/u6a6V
- R/T @kainvestor @kachwanya Zain looks to close $12bn deal to sell Africa unit - report: http://tinyurl.com/m4wofy
- Soldiers are not allowed with guns in the room (and other hotel rules) http://bit.ly/BCAV8
- Time to do the tax return thing - 3 out of 4 years waiting for a tax refund

June 10
- How the Lakers won Game 2: I wish Bill Simmons watched Soccer and F1 because there are more conspiracies than NBA http://tinyurl.com/ma2gax
- The folks at DNA Kenya have published a Promiscuity Index Report: Ave No. of Steady Mistresses! Ave No. of kids per steady Mistress! Ave No. of 1 night stands since wedding! #DNAKenya http://www.dnakenya.com
spot the difference

Nairobi City Council Finances

Amid the record half year bank profits, local authorities (town, municipal, county) are also releasing their year end numbers (June 08)

The finances for the Nairobi City council showed revenue of Kshs. 8.1 billion ($123 million) which came from the following sources; government 2.53 billion, (Nairobi) water company 147m, borrowing of 505m, 772m from business permits, market fees 325m, 1.72 billion ($26m) from property rates, and 649m from parking collections.

Expenditure was the same 8.1 billion shillings comprising payments to councilors of 71 million, salaries amounting to Kshs. 3.7 billion ($56m), operations & maintenance 1b, capital projects (investments) 1.1 b, and debt repayment of Kshs. 2.1 billion)

The popular and celebrated town clerk John Gakuo (who’s vilified by others) remains in office despite a change of guard in the chaotic politics of running Nairobi City.

Also, the local government minister published new accounting rules last month for councils to follow which they must as they on average get about 60% of their revenue from the government, and most are dependent on the Government (taxpayers) for their continued operations.

John Gakuo: Restoring Nairobi’s Glory

Like former Mayor (and now Presidential Candidate) Rudy Giuliani did for New York in the mid 1990’s, John Gakuo, the town clerk of the City Council of Nairobi, is credited with the clean up of the city, making it a cleaner, safer, and a more beautiful place to visit.

So how did he do it? He gave a Leadership Forum talk on October 17 on his time at City Hall

Who: John Gakuo is a University of Nairobi Graduate and had been an administrator (provincial administration) for over 20 years. He was appointed Town Clerk (effectively CEO) of the Nairobi City Council in 2004. He is inspired by history – France’s recovery since WWI, the Arusha Declaration (Tanzania) - and believes that Nairobi can be restored to its glory, which last shone in the 1970’s.

He gave his talk on the challenge of effective resource management and began by saying that resources were not the key to change, noting that some countries with abundant mineral resources, have their citizens living in extreme poverty, while others with less resources, have prudently managed what they have to achieve great things. And that was the theme of his talk – use what you have to get what you want

The success he has had at city hall has been though effective resource management and he decried leaders who use the ‘we have no money’ excuse for not doing things, noting that they should solve problems in other ways

Beginning: He was transferred there from the Ministry of Health and initially believed someone wanted him fired (from government) by having him posted to the ‘chaotic’ office – one that attracts insults in the media every day, for the poor conditions in the city. He found the city dirty because they had no brooms, and was told there was no money to buy brooms. He thought about it and decided that the staff could not be idle, so he asked them to cut tree branches to sweep up the city. In no time, this led to money becoming available, and soon brooms were procured and work continued.

And from that point on he decided to set out priority areas that he could tackle with his limited resource base, and which produced visible results, since he did not have money to do what people wanted most.

These included;

Recreation areas: Nairobi city was planned for ½ million people, but now had 3 ½ million, and even up to 4 million during the daytime – and there were no places for recreation. Two parks - Central Park and Uhuru Park were very dirty, un-maintained, and controlled by gangs of urchins who molested anyone who dared go near the parks. So he fixed the one tractor and grass cutter and began a long attempt to mow the grass and clean the parks of trash. They also set up lighting for the park and security so that couples and families could begin using the park. He is gratified by the numbers of people (couples, families) who now visit and rest in the park, in relative safety. Later he extended his campaign to Uhuru Gardens (Langata Road) even though it is not under the Council’s jurisdiction – and it is now a popular weekend rest point for people.

Statutory (legal) powers as a resource for service delivery: He said, even when you have no money, you still have to be seen to be at work, and that people always want to see new things from leaders. So he undertook measures which were visible and which he could maintain, but which did not require money. He took advantage of very powerful, but dormant, by-laws in the city council code, which he combined with the abundant staff resource at his disposal. These efforts included curbing down on garbage dumping at Kangemi (though it took over 2,000 arrests for the message to sink in), and requiring buildings owners in Nairobi to fix & paint their buildings prior to license renewal. Also littering, public urination, and zebra crossing, and numerous other (unfortunate ‘violations’ were punished by the councils various inspectorate teams.

Lighting & beautification

Lighting is an essential feature of beautification and security in the city. He set out to put lights that would give visitors a positive impression of the city, right from Jomo Kenyatta airport and into the city, as well as on Langata Road and Waiyaki Way up to the city boundaries – and plans to light up Thika Road up to Kenyatta University. Within the city, lighting, combined with other inspectorate crews were used to rid the streets of urchins who used to snatch women’s purses and who made several parts of the city no-go zones after sunset. They plan to light up the other side of Tom Mboya Street up to Nairobi River and Khoja Mosque as well.

In addition to urchins he also cut down on the women who’d beg with children on their back all day, believing that few of them were genuine cases. He does not know where they went, but they are not on the streets anymore as they can be charged with ‘idling’. He joked that when you see him coming up with a new by-law to enforce, you know the City is broke again

Trees are relatively cheap to plant; they make the city beautiful and filter the exhaust fumes from vehicles. So the council has planted thousands of evergreen trees in the city and along the major highways

Roundabouts and fountains are being resorted in parks and at strategic point in the city after years of disuse

Kiosks often harbor undesirables, some can do, but they are a very sensitive political matter and he gets a lot of pressure when he cracks down. However with the ones outside Nairobi Hospital, he was able to accommodate them by asking that they rebuild them in a manner that they were not an eyesore

Matatu’s He described the transport minibuses as a menace. Some measures he has taken to reign them in include stationing 2 tow trucks at the Westlands to intercept any matatu dropping of picking up passengers on the road, instead of suing the bus-stop, while on Thika Road, they are digging trenches to prevent matatu’s from driving down the side of the road.
Roundabouts are archaic and they will all be ripped up along Uhuru Highway
Garbage Disposal The Dandora dumpsite been around for 50 years to the detriment of their residents’ health. They City Council is seeking an international company to tackle solid waste disposal soon

partnerships
He said business & residents associations have not provided meaningful assistance – all they do is have endless meetings and resolutions with no action thereafter, while most who have pledged to restore/beautify some roundabouts have not done more than put up their own advertising. He welcomes anyone or business that has a plan/action to beautify/restore any project in the City to contact his office, noting that majority of city residents have been impatient but not helpful

media relations: He has engaged the public through the media by responding/replying to each accusation of report he read in the news about the City Council. This has helped the media come around to understand the challenges he faces

numbers: he was questioned later about revenue and staff numbers. On staff he said that they have about 13,000 staff and ideally should have 7,000. he says when he has enough money he will retrench some of them, but for now he’ll continue to use them as effectively as he can so they earn their keep. On revenue he said when he joined 2 ½ years ago, city was collecting 3 billion, now they are up to 11 billion and growing. Earlier on he took over aspects of the finance department, since treasury was receiving very little of what was collected

succession: one questioner dropped a Tom Peters quote on him challenging that ‘leaders are not judged by how many followers they have, but by how many leaders they create’ – to which he replied that all he can do is let others see his strategies and actions and see if they are worth emulating.

summary: The Town Clerk is a man who believes in action, not talk. And with his style and achievements, you can expect him to probably, like Rudy Giuliani (minus the personal baggage), step into politics in a few years.

Email: townclerk@nairobi.org

100 years

Deloitte 100 years

celebrated inside the Nairobi National park last Friday

Deloitte celebrated 100 years of doing business in Kenya last week at the ivory burning site inside the Nairobi National Park.

I’m sure Deloitte will exist in another hundred years, but will the Nairobi National Park as we know it be around in a hundred years?

This has been debated before but it sure to come up again and again as the city rapidly expands into all open land to the South and East.

And with the three hour traffic jams (more) that some city residents experience daily, each way on roads like Thika Road and Mombasa Road, there is appetite for some improvement.

Decision makers may find it easier to hive off land than to radically change other aspects of rapid urbanizations such as taxation (increase tax on cars to reuce their numbers), develop a mass public transport system, or infrastructure (more by-pass roads) which in any case would still have to run thought the park.

So it’s likely that in a few years you can expect moves to reduce / encroach on the parks 117 sq km to create more residential and commercial space close to the city.

And residents lulled by the offer of more land, easier access to towns, offices and new homes may support absorption of some park space by the city of Nairobi.

Though the park has stood the test of time and remains largely intact to past encroachment efforts, the animal numbers have diminished as developments to the south have cut off migration paths. Stories of lions or leopards being seen in the Langata area at night have all but disappeared. The Kenya Wildlife service has proven adept at relocating animals including elephants and rhinos to other parks in the country and would be called up on to do the same here.

The park has few forested areas so it’s easy to see quite far in the park. But at night during the Deloitte function you could see lights in the distance all around the park, marking the edge of human activity bursting to enter the park.

Good luck to Nairobi National Park over the next 100 years!

Kutwa Tuesday

These are stories I have found (kutwad) and want to share this Tuesday

Getting a story straight: One way of getting your story out through the media is to buy space and have your statement run exactly as you mean it and straight to the public - and there are two recent instances of that.

Street Lights: First is by the CEO of Adopt-A-Light Esther Passaris who launched her transformed street lighting crusade into an anti-poverty and anti-corruption vehicle that may lead her to being the next mayor of Nairobi.

This comes after the City council of Nairobi disowned the contract they had with her company and advertised for other companies to fulfill outdoor lighting & advertising functions which were had been exclusively done by Adopt a light.

What’s in your water bottle?: The second statement is a concerned water expert who is worried that Kenyans may not understand the different types of bottled water being sold - drinking water, natural mineral water, mineral water, carbonated water etc. - and that water bottling companies are being liberal with the advertising truth. He writes that natural mineral water is bottled at source, and with no chemical treatment, which is an expensive process - and he doubts that it is possible for a company actually producing such water, can sell it at the same price as drinking water. I.e. some of the companies are making false claims on their water bottles. He also cautions users to check the amount of fluorine in bottled water as it can lead to bad teeth and bone disease (Should not be more than 1.5mg per litre)

Do they work?: Of course the media love a story waged on their papers and companies such as Kakuzi, Portland cement, Kenya pipeline, Nzoia Sugar and other companies have all bought space (in more than one newspaper) to run statements, usually denying allegations of financial impropriety. There was even an infamous statement defending Anglo Leasing a few years ago.

Esther Passaris took out 2 page advertisements in both the Sunday Nation and Sunday Standard – probably at a total cost of Kshs 1.5 million (840,000 for the Nation, and over 600,000 for the standard)

The media is happy because these statements add to advertising revenue and often lead to other statements and form a base for them to tackle stories that they may have been hesitant to delve into. IMHO, it is unwise for corporations to place such self-serving advertisements especially to deny allegations – the better thing is to lie low and let the bad press (negative stories) pass, plant a few trees & build schools (CSR is good first aid for a scandal wound), answer questions from regulators or authorities – but don’t splash your story in the media!

(See past PR statements by De La Rue and Italians in Malindi.

Communications Wananchi has applied for a data carrier network operator - DCNO license - joining other firms such as KDN, Simbanet, Telkom, UUNET and Access Kenya.

Bounty Hunter: In a Ugandan newspaper, I came across an article (copy here) about the search for Felicien Kabuga who is wanted for his role in the 1994 Rwanda genocide. The article had more depth than any story I have read in any Kenyan paper (fear of libel laws perhaps), but what continues to amaze me is that despite almost every literate urban Kenyan knowing about the search, a reward on offer of $5m (down to Kshs 335 million at current exchange rate), recent photos of Kabuga that the Nation published a few months ago, and significant evidence that he spends a great deal of time in Kenya – no one (his friends & associates) cares enough, for posterity, or for the reward, to turn this guy in. And now there’s a deadline - as the mandate for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and presumably the reward will expire at the end of 2008.

Brother please! Just came across this story - which at first I thought was from the the Onion or some satire website. But it appears to be a true story – that the wreckage of a six-seater aircraft has been found in Cameroon three months after it crashed. So should we be greatful that the KQ crash site was found within 48 hours?

Money go round: Even as some of the larger pyramid schemes are experiencing cash flow problems, smaller ones are still attracting new investors. In the newspapers every day there are more schemes in the works listed in the classified sections under business opportunity – all offering 16 – 20% returns per month, just for investing a small amount for a weeks.

Real estate The Kenya anti corruption authority (KACA) is seeking land in milimani, upper hill, kilimani or wastelands, presumably to set up a new office building. Lots sought should be 2 to 5 acres in size, close to major road and details should be sent to the Director by June 14.

Mining
- On J7 July at the Msambweni divisional office, a case will be heard between Simon Ndungu Karanja vs. Tiomin over his 1.9 ha piece of land
- Gippsland offshore petroleum of Australia is doing an geophysical survey of the Kenya coast (kipini area, ungama bay)
- Tile & carpet center are prospecting for carbon dioxide in (Kereita forest) of Kiambu district
- Oil giant Halliburton is moving is headquarters from Houston to Dubai!

Tivo, Catholics and Mayor Dick

Catholic Church Insurance
According to the East African, the Nairobi Catholic Church has been licensed to start an insurance company, which it hopes will save it from paying out $20 million in premiums each year. This struck me as odd because I just learnt that, in Pakistan, drivers carry no car insurance, because one can’t insure “against the will of God” - which is what accidents are.

“TIVO” comes to Kenya
Also in the East African, Multichoice (K) expects to release personal video recorders on the Kenyan market by June 2006, which will allow viewers to record programs while watching others from their DSTV satellite dish packages.

Nairobian’s Revolt
Long before the constitution became a national debate issue, a group of Nairobians had taken on the Nairobi City Council charging that, since the City did not provide services, accountability, transparency, security, or enforcement of zoning laws residents should not pay any rates or taxes to the City and went to court with their fight. They are collectively known as “We Care About Nairobi DO IT!” and can be reached at P O box 66116 Nairobi Tel: 4447737,4448072 Email:wecandoit@wananchi.com Website: www.wecandoit.co.ke Office: Viking house near Pavement Restaurant & Westlands Roundabout. To show instant support of We Can Do It, court action against City Hall. SMS to 2929 on either Celtel or Safaricom plus your name. (SMSs are charged at 5/- above normal rate. A % of the cost goes toward the legal fund.) They are also open to associate membership at a cost; for individual, at an annual fee of Kshs 2. 000 and to institutions for an annual fee of Kshs 50,000

Lawsuit against Nairobi City Council Continues

The Nairobi stakeholders association, WE Care About Nairobi DO- IT (a.k.a (WECANDOIT) held a meeting at Sarit Centre on Monday, to update residents on their two lawsuits against the Nairobi City Council (NCC). In case No. 1 they claim the City’s 2005 rate increase is arbitrary and illegal, and in Case No. 2 they charge that, since NCC is not providing services to Nairobian's it is not entitled to collect rates from them. These cases will be heard later this month. Other titbits from the Q&A session that followed:

- NCC may be in contempt of Court since it placed and avert asking residents to pay their rates by June 2005, in exchange for a 3% discount, which only applies if you pay the disputed 2005 rates. The NCC has also contracted the Kenya Revenue Authority to collect land rates from them in exchange for a 1.5% fee. When the initial lawsuit was filed, the Judge issued a 'stay order' halting the increase until the case was heard.
- City valuations are arbitrary: The Chairlady’s neighbour had his land valued, and pays rates at Kshs. 5 million an acre, even though he’s been unable to sell any of it at 1m/acre. She herself has been asked to pay 300,000 for her Kitusuru land valued at 36 million, even though it does not have a serviceable road to it. She’s willing to pay her land rates, but wants to see some basic services come out of that money.
- Sellers and developers of land are not getting approval for their plans, until they pay the new rates.
- To dispute a land rate, a resident must first pay a non-refundable 500-shilling fee, regardless of the amount he’s disputing. WECANDOIT is also challenging this. Rates are .6% for residential and 1.5% for commercial land, per year – but the NCC has the power to arbitrarily raise them to 4%.
- There’s actually a non-functioning “ward committee” who are supposed to regulate and license any kiosk before it can operate anywhere in the City. WECANDOIT also supports devolution of powers, and revenue collection, to wards since that has proven to be more effective
- So far the association’s Justice Fund has received contributions amounting to 750,000 from residents shillings to fund the lawsuits. They also have some top-notch lawyers working on the case and have also received complementary advertising and meeting space from the Nation and Sarit Centre respectively.
- Good news: Even though some residents have been charged for garbage collection and sewerage on their bills (services they NEVER ever receive), a visit/complaint to City Hall can get the charge stopped.
- Bad news: Nairobi Water Corporation staff are going round claiming, they have ‘power to arrest’ residents who have (they say) tampered with water meters – in order to induce bribes
- Worse news: Policemen are stopping & threatening to arrest Nairobi drivers who drive without seatbelts or shoes, with tinted windows or bull bars on their cars, or for over-speeding – in order to induce bribes
- Quote of the day: from the Chairlady In Kenya today, the government is using 1st world laws to govern a 6th world country. We didn’t mind when they used 3rd world laws to govern what was then a 3rd world county
- Unfortunate fact: In a room of about 100 people, there were only about 5 Miro’s.
You can contact WECANDOIT at kinanda@ wananchi.com

Wananchi Action

Last month a Nairobi citizens group WECANDOIT (We Care About Nairobi DO IT) filed a lawsuit accusing the Nairobi City Council of (i) NCC has not provided services to Nairobi (ii) NCC’s move to raise its rates in 2005 was done illegally

The lawsuit was field through the organizations Justice Fund that is now appealing to Nairobians for financial support. The timing is unfortunate since the KUJ misused donations and sponsor money last week and is still a hot topic. However cash/check donations can be made to “we can do it” - kinanda@wananchi.com, P. O. Box 14170-00800 Nairobi Telephone: 521828/9 [bank account: CFC 670012514]