Inside big plans to transform Kisumu into modern city

"We will have a marina, which is like a bus stop where all boats park," he said, adding that the move would open up the entire lake basin region.

Last week, President William Ruto launched the MV Uhuru II, a vessel built in Kenya that is touted to be critical in reviving maritime trade between Kenya and her neighbours.

Also critical to the transformation programme is an industrial park that will serve as the main trading area and the construction of adequate markets to cater to the residents' needs.

"A city without an industrial area is not a city because that is the bottom line of trade and manufacturing," said Wanga, who noted that Kisumu would require 15 markets to serve trade and business needs.

But the city's transformation would come at the expense of tuk-tuks, which the city Manager revealed that the county plans to phase out as they "congest the city and the transport system".

In December last year, the county government directed tuk-tuk operators to only transport luggage and not passengers, a move the operators protested.

Wanga said congestion is detrimental to the growth of cities owing to the long hours spent in traffic jams, saying that properly-designed cities have effective public transportation.

MV UHURU II, a ship built by the Kenyan military, in Lake Victoria in Kisumu County, on October 9, 2023, after it was commissioned by President William Ruto. [Michael Mute, Standard]

He advocated for affordable and well-designed housing, allocating trading zones and recreational areas, setting up schools and health facilities, ensuring sufficient security and reliable water supply, and constructing a wholesome transport network with walkways, among others.

The city manager decried fraudulent approvals and controls that he said mess cities and their designs, stretching the available infrastructure and amenities, urging strict adherence to urban regulations.

"You mess a city by changing an area from a residential suburb to a skyscraper area without considering the water flow and sewer and drainage systems... We leave a group of people, sitting in a city hall or somewhere, to start messing up the design of an entire estate without considering everything," Wanga said.

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