Five Riparian Counties in Nyanza resolve to steer Lakefront Development
By Dickson Odhiambo
September 22, 2022
Five Riparian Counties in
Nyanza resolve to steer Lakefront Development
FIVE Counties being surrounded by the Lake Victoria have
today come up with resolutions on the Lakefront Development.
The five Riparian Counties comprised of Kisumu, Homa Bay,
Migori, Siaya and Busia have held a meeting today in Kisumu and have come up
with three strong resolutions on Lakefront Development.
In a signed Press statement to the news rooms, the Governors
of the five Riparian Counties say the riparian counties to constitute and
operationalize a technical sub-committee on Lakefront planning and Development.
The Governors have also taken the note of the need to
develop a joint Lakefront initiative aimed at promoting sustainable use of the
Lakefront targeting the water resource, the riparian area and the people whose
livelihood depends on Lake Victoria with particular focus on the urban areas
including the beach settlement.
The five Governors have also taken not of linking Lakefront
planning and the Lake Victoria Ring Road to the Lake Victoria Regional
Development program improving infrastructure to human capital opportunities and
market for residents.
The
City of Kisumu’s “Integrated Strategic Urban Development (ISUD) Plan”,
identified the Lakefront Area as a key asset for the city and proposed its
development as an extension of the Central Business District (CBD).
The land targeted for this expansion was owned
by the Kenya Railway Corporation (KRC) who also planned to develop the land, on
a commercial basis.
In order to materialize the development of the
area in a way that: benefits the city; presents economic gains for land owners
and developers; and preserves the local economy that was active in part of the
area; UN-Habitat prepared the Lakefront Development Advisory Plan and further
analysed legislation and overall economic feasibility of the areas.
UN-Habitat
also proposed the formation of Lakefront Development Corporation, a Special
Purpose Vehicle (SPV) that would promote public and private sector investment
and development of the lakefront.
Upon
assuming Office in 2018, the Governor of Kisumu, Professor Peter Anyang’
Nyong’o, took up the recommendation of UN-Habitat and established the SPV known
as Kisumu Lakefront Development Corporation (KLDC).
The
vehicle is currently seeking UN-Habitat support to operationalize the Advisory
Plan and subsequently attract investors to the lakefront.
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