Senate confers city status to Nakuru joining Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu

The Senate on Thursday, June 3 voted in support of the motion to name Nakuru as one of Kenya's cities.

The process had hit a snag in November 2020 when the Senate criticised Nakuru County Government over the harassment of street families in the county.

The rounding up of the street children grabbed national headlines as it had come at a time Nakuru was in the process of being promoted to a city.

A view of Nakuru Town from Nakuru-Nairobi highway. (The Standard) Pulse Live Kenya

While voting for the conferment of the city status, Nakuru Senator said that the county government has a duty to ensure all Kenyans live comfortably despite their social economic background.

"I have also watched the governor very heartlessly displace the matatu group in Nakuru county. They have been forcefully removed from just in trying to ensure that Nakuru was able to achieve city status.

"But I must say that Nakuru must not proceed in a way that only caters for the rich people in Nakuru. Where the poor are seen to be an eyesore and therefore removed from the town," she said.

The Senate gave the county rules that must be adhered to in light of the new status of the county.

Recommendations by Senate

When Nakuru becomes a city, the cost of living should not rise dramatically and that any proposed increase in taxation should be subjected to further public participation and ownership.

In order to cure the urban sprawl, a review of the boundaries of Nakuru as stipulated in the Urban Areas and Cities Act which provides the procedure for delineation of boundaries should be done.

In dealing with encroachment of land, the law and good practices ought be enforced and observed in dealing with businesses that have encroached on public land and this will help open up public spaces including drainages.

The municipal board should implement Section 22 of the Urban Areas and Cities Act by forming institutionalized citizen fora.

The municipality should constitute and equip a modern planning and development control unit in line with Urban Areas and Cities Act 2011 for sustainable development of the municipality.