The County Government of Nakuru is implementing the ‘Just City Model’, an urban planning framework that prioritises social justice, democratic governance and sustainable urban development to address rapid urban expansion and economic inequalities through support from the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Kenya Office.
The model seeks to shift urban centres in all 11 sub-counties from unequal spaces into inclusive environments.
In his remarks, Deputy Governor Dr David Kones explained the strategic policy shift now places residents at the absolute centre of municipal planning, ensuring that physical infrastructure investments respond directly to community needs while enhancing access to essential services and local economic opportunities.
Speaking at the County Headquarters, when he hosted a delegation from Uganda who visited to benchmark and learn from Nakuru’s successes, the DG pointed out that under the social contract theory, the County government has an obligation to protect the lives, health, dignity, shelter and sanitation of all residents, especially the most vulnerable.
“This model serves as an alternative to chaotic urban growth by holding that the County Government has a fundamental social contract to protect the housing, health, shelter, and sanitation of all citizens, especially those in vulnerable informal settlements,” he stated.
Kones added that through an active partnership with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), the devolved unit is integrating the core principles of dignity, democracy, equity and social inclusion into urban governance by deploying participatory social planning tools.
The initiative marks a departure from conventional, top-down infrastructure delivery toward a people-centred framework where residents exercise a decisive voice in shaping their neighbourhoods.
He pledged that the Susan Kihika-led administration will remain steadfast in building an inclusive city where citizens actively participate in setting development priorities and enjoy access to safe, accessible, and functional public spaces.
“Urban development must go beyond constructing roads and buildings to creating cities where every resident feels valued, has a voice in decision-making, and can access opportunities and essential services,” he said.
He noted that the sustained collaboration with FES has empowered the county to embed social justice into spatial planning, deepen public engagement, and prioritise projects that directly upgrade the living standards of residents.
Kones highlighted that Nakuru, Jinja and Soroti share common urban challenges, including rapid population growth, infrastructure pressure, housing demand, waste management, mobility, job creation and equitable service delivery.
The DG noted that these shared experiences create a valuable opportunity for peer learning, enabling cities to adapt proven solutions to their local realities and better serve their communities.
The Just City Model provides an opportunity to place residents at the centre of urban planning and decision-making.
Through tools that strengthen public participation and social planning, Nakuru can better understand community needs and ensure that infrastructure investments promote equity, accessibility, and inclusive growth.
He noted that utilising specialised digital social planning tools, including Sceneri and U-Code, with direct support from FES to capture detailed neighbourhood-level data, facilitates the collection and analysis of community information, allowing urban planners to pinpoint spatial inequalities and target municipal funds toward underserved areas.
The DG further highlighted that a prime demonstration of this human-centred planning is the ongoing Kiamurogi Kenya Informal Settlements Improvement Project (KISIP), where infrastructure upgrades feature bitumen-standard roads, non-motorised transport (NMT) walkways, stormwater drainage, high-mast street lighting, and designated trader vending bays.
The structural interventions aim to boost mobility, heighten security, reduce flood vulnerabilities and protect informal livelihoods within settlement zones.
The Ugandan urban leadership delegation led by Jinja City Mayor Nagaya Abdulhafidh and Soroti City Council Speaker Faith Nagawa was in Nakuru to benchmark on the ‘Just City Model’.
Abdulhafidh commended Nakuru’s success in bridging public participation with actual capital project delivery.
He said peer learning allows cities to share practical experiences and identify approaches that can be adapted to their local circumstances.
Abdulhafidh observed that Nakuru’s experience in involving communities in planning and linking public participation to infrastructure development offers useful lessons for strengthening inclusive urban governance.
Soroti City Council Speaker Faith Nagawa underscored the necessity of structured civic engagement in combating spatial marginalisation.
She outlined that residents should be active participants in shaping the development of their cities, adding that inclusive planning helps local authorities understand the challenges facing communities and make decisions that promote fairness, dignity, and equal access to public services.
The workshop and subsequent field inspections demonstrated how community-driven data collection, green urbanism, and gender-responsive design coalesce into an effective urban transformation strategy.
FES reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Nakuru’s Just City agenda by expanding technical capacity building, promoting policy integration, and strengthening participatory mechanisms across municipal boards.
As rapid urbanisation continues to amplify the demand for housing, sanitation, transport, and utilities across Kenya, Nakuru’s institutionalisation of the Just City framework establishes a replicable benchmark for devolved urban management across East Africa.
The County Government of Nakuru affirmed that it will maintain collaborative ties with development partners, civil society, and local communities to ensure that all urban expansion honours human dignity, democracy, and social equity.
By Jane Ngugi and Caroline Nyakio
