TEN TOWNS TO BENEFIT FROM THE UN AGENCY IN THEIR PLANNING, POVERTY ERRADICATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING.

Writes Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City

Bondo, Kisii, Homa-Bay and Kisumu City will be among ten towns around Lake Victoria in East Africa that the UN-Habitat will help to plan.

The other towns that will benefit from the organization’s initiative, aimed at improving environment and reducing poverty among residents, are those towns , which are located around Lake Victoria like Jinja, Kampala Bukoba, Musoma and Mwanza in Uganda and Tanzania.

With support from the Swedish International Development Co-operation, UN-Habitat will ensure the towns benefit from participatory town planning and financial guide to investment plans.

In collaboration with the government ,UN-Habitat has established the Kenya Slum Upgrading program, to improve the livelihoods of people living and working in slums in towns where security, housing and infrastructure will be improved..

A population of 2.5 million will benefit from the plan, which is expected to address water and sanitation needs, high poverty levels, high unemployment rates, and pollution.

The plans to cover the ten towns were discussed during a workshop in Homa-Bay over the weekend. The workshop was meant to finalize the plans for the towns earmarked, the Urban Design and Planning Service Unit chief Jossey Materu, said the initiative aims at environmental sustainability.

“We want to see our towns clean and living standards improved in the region”, Materu told the participant at the workshop, also attended by the area District Commissioner, Benard Leparmarai and Homa-Bay Town Clerk GASMIL Binge.

University of Nairobi Prof Robert Obudho, of the department of Planning, told the participant that plans are underway to include other towns like Mumias and Migori.

Ends

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com
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From: Leo Odera Omolo
Date: Sat, Sep 12, 2009 at 11:09 PM
Subject: Ten Towns around Lake Victoria to get UN support in their plannings