Kisii hosts World Cities Day 2026 as leaders urge counties to integrate housing and waste management

KISII, Kenya Oct 31 – County governments have been urged to strengthen waste management through reliable collection, segregation at source, recycling, material recovery and safe disposal, as Kisii hosted this year’s World Cities Day celebrations.

The call was made in a speech by Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome, read on her behalf by Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba.

The celebrations were held at the Kisii Agricultural Training Centre, on the outskirts of Kisii town, under the theme, “Regenerating the City: Adequate Housing for All”.

Housing must come with services

Ogamba said adequate housing goes beyond providing a roof over people’s heads, noting that residents also need clean water, sanitation, proper drainage, transport, public spaces, essential services and economic opportunities.

He said urbanisation creates opportunities for employment, investment and improved livelihoods but warned that poorly planned growth could worsen housing shortages, pollution, flooding and pressure on public services.

The national government, he said, was pursuing an integrated urban development agenda that brings together affordable housing, infrastructure, economic opportunities and improved municipal services.

In Kisii County, he cited affordable housing projects in Ogembo, Suneka, Nyachenge, Nyanchwa and Nyaribari Masaba as opportunities to expand access to housing, create jobs and stimulate local economic activity.

However, he said such investments must be accompanied by adequate drainage, sanitation, waste collection, transport links and green public spaces.

He also emphasised the role of modern markets in supporting small businesses, traders and agricultural value chains, saying their success depends on proper planning, reliable water supply, good hygiene and efficient waste collection.

He urged county governments and municipalities to plan housing, markets and other infrastructure as part of an integrated urban system rather than as isolated projects.

Lessons on resilience and municipal capacity

Ogamba said programmes such as the Kenya Urban Support Programme Phase 2 (KUSP2) and the Kenya Informal Settlement Improvement Project offered important lessons in strengthening municipal institutions, integrated planning and resilient infrastructure.

He said municipalities needed the capacity to plan, budget for, deliver and maintain roads, drainage systems, markets, public spaces and waste management facilities.

He also cited the Building Climate Resilience for the Urban Poor (BCRUP) initiative as an example of efforts to address climate risks facing vulnerable communities.

Flooding, poor drainage, inadequate sanitation and environmental degradation disproportionately affect residents of underserved settlements, he said, making climate-sensitive planning, ecosystem restoration and inclusive green livelihoods essential.

He added that settlement upgrading should involve residents in identifying local priorities to ensure neighbourhoods become safer, more accessible and better serviced.

Kisii praised for restoration and waste recovery

The speech commended Kisii County for transforming the former Nyambera dumpsite into Etaya Governor’s Park, saying the initiative demonstrated how degraded land could be reclaimed and converted into valuable public space.

Ogamba also highlighted the Material Recovery Facility at the training centre as a step towards a circular economy, where waste is recovered and reused wherever it is safe and economically viable.

The facility is reported to have the capacity to handle up to 50 tonnes of waste daily, although the figure requires confirmation through verified data.

“The success of waste management must not be measured by installed capacity alone, but by the quantity of waste responsibly managed and the improvements in residents’ experiences in their neighbourhoods,” he said.

He called for stronger waste segregation at source, reliable collection, recycling, composting of suitable organic waste and safe disposal of residual waste.

He further urged households, schools, offices, markets, institutions and businesses to embrace the principles of the Sustainable Waste Management Act, 2022.

Partnerships and accountability

Ogamba said sustainable urbanisation required coordinated action by national and county governments, municipalities, communities, the private sector and development partners.

Residents, traders, women, young people, waste workers and community organisations, he said, should play a meaningful role in planning, implementing and monitoring local solutions.

The private sector and development partners should also mobilise investment, promote innovation and develop sustainable markets for recovered materials.

He said these efforts must be supported by adequate financing, skilled personnel, routine maintenance and clear accountability.

He encouraged municipalities to establish measurable targets and timelines and regularly track progress.

He also urged authorities to protect rivers, drainage corridors, wetlands and green spaces.

“Regenerating our cities is a shared responsibility, and the time to act is now,” he said, urging residents to keep their neighbourhoods clean, separate waste at source and protect shared public spaces.

He reaffirmed the national government’s commitment to working with counties and other stakeholders to build clean, safe, inclusive and climate-resilient towns where every family can access adequate housing.

Kisii eyes city status

Kisii Governor Simba Arati reiterated his commitment to environmental conservation and improved urban development as the county works towards elevating Kisii Municipality to city status.

In a speech read by his Deputy Governor Elijah Obebo, the county boss said Kisii’s selection to host the celebrations reflected the county’s progress in urban development.

He noted that the county had also hosted World Cleanup Day the previous month, where stakeholders focused on reducing food waste and promoting a circular economy.

“It means we are doing something in the right direction on matters of urban development, and someone is noticing,” he said.

He acknowledged that Kisii faced challenges common to cities worldwide, including ageing infrastructure, climate change, inadequate affordable housing and social inequality.

Urban regeneration, he said, offered a sustainable way forward and an opportunity for government, academia, the private sector and civil society to work together in developing practical solutions.

Obebo cited the county’s Kazi Mashinani initiative as one of the programmes intensifying clean-up efforts in urban areas.

He said the former Nyambera dumpsite, which had long been an eyesore, had been transformed into a popular recreational space, particularly among young people.

Citing research linking green spaces to improved mental health and reduced stress and anxiety, he urged residents to use and protect the park, adding that the county planned to establish more public spaces.

He said the county had finalised its first 10-year County Spatial Plan to guide land use, settlement patterns, infrastructure development and natural resource management.

Kisii and Ogembo already have municipality status, while other urban areas would be elevated once their local land-use plans were completed, in line with the Urban Areas and Cities Act.

Obebo also commended the national government’s Affordable Housing Programme, saying the housing and market projects would improve the urban landscape and expand access to housing and business facilities once completed.

He invited development partners, universities, the private sector and civil society organisations to help develop evidence-based proposals to guide policy and investment.

“As a county government, we are committed to ensuring that all this shall be done because we are here, this is our time, and we mean it,” he said.

UN-Habitat: Waste can create green jobs

UN-Habitat Kenya Head of Country Programme Beryl Khanyile said sustainable urban development required more than housing, noting that residents also needed secure land tenure, reliable basic services, clean neighbourhoods and economic opportunities.

She urged leaders to consider the plight of a family seeking a decent home through the Affordable Housing Programme, a woman selling vegetables next to uncollected waste and young people struggling to find employment.

Khanyile said this year’s theme did not call for cities to start from scratch but rather to invest in existing neighbourhoods, improve services and make urban areas more productive, inclusive and resilient.

She added that housing must also be climate-resilient.

Khanyile said UN-Habitat, working with the State Department for Housing and Urban Development and Kisii County, was strengthening the solid waste value chain to create green jobs for young people, in collaboration with partners such as Taka ni Mali.

She commended Governor Arati for initiating the waste-to-value approach through the Material Recovery Facility and praised the State Department for its leadership, saying such efforts demonstrated that adequate housing for all was achievable.

She also highlighted collaboration under BCRUP and related Sustainable Development Goals initiatives, which support local services, financing for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and green employment.

“Waste is not a problem to be managed. If handled well, it is a source of dignity, income and greater opportunity,” she said.

Khanyile said Kisii’s experience would be showcased at the global observance in China as a model for other Kenyan towns.

“We want to show the world that this is already happening in Kenya,” she said, calling on stakeholders to translate the commitments made in Kisii into lasting action to ensure no family or neighbourhood was left behind.