City managers have been urged to use technology and sound planning to reduce overcrowding and inequality and prevent the ‘Mumbai moment’.
It was a reference to Covid-19 spreading in Mumbai, India’s largest and most densely populated city. It has 18.4 million in habitants. The sprawling city has numerous challenges.
Speaking in Kisumu at the annual Kusi Ideas Festival, Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o emphasised the need to plan because of rural-to-urban migration and Covid-19 demands and disruptions.
Urban planning is the future of development planning, he said.
“Whether you like it or not, people are moving into urban areas,” he said during a panel discussion on Covid-19 and the new urbanisation realities.
Technology expert Louis Ogingo said cities should adopt technology to deal with new Covid realities of social distancing, hand washing and wearing masks.
He is a member of the Lake Region Economic Block Covid-19 Advisory and Resource Mobilisation Committee
“Now that personal spacing is being redefined, we need to innovate around moving goods by utilising boda boda riders especially in rural areas,” Ogingo said.
He said technology is only an enabler, not an end in itself, and urged planners to put people at the centre of innovation.
“I come from Homa Bay county. Look at the economic opportunities for trade, we need to innovate to enable boda boda riders to carry both goods and people.
“The only thing required is the technology to enable this transition,” he said.
Ogingo predicted the growth of metropolises and urged cities to adopt technology.
“We are going to see metropolises, an aggregation of neighbourhoods with amenities like supermarkets, banks, markets, etc. What’s going to enable that is technology,” he added.
As there’s fear Covid-19 infections may spike, he urged Lake Basin counties to have “as many hand washing stations as garbage collection points”.
Speakers also called for strengthening fragile healthcare systems in urban areas, especially low-income areas vulnerable to Covid-19.
“As we think about urbanisation, what do health systems look like? Africa performs dismally at 43 per cent achievement of some level of quality health care,” Liz Ntonjira, Amref’s global communications director, said.
She urged city managers to prioritise access to clean water.
“Covid showed the need to have water as a basic need,” she said.
Kisumu county is to host the Africicties Summit 2021.