State to resume slum upgrading project on World Bank funding

The government is preparing to start the second phase of a slum upgrading programme following financing from the World Bank.

The Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development has called for an expression of interest (EoI) for consulting services of phase two of the slum upgrading project.

Known as Kenya Informal Settlement Improvement Project (Kisip), the programme seeks to transform informal settlements to modern affordable housing.

In an advert in The Standard on Wednesday, the government said it has received undisclosed financing from the World Bank towards the cost of Kisip 2 and intends to apply part of the proceeds to consulting services.

"The consulting services include mapping of slums and informal settlements in Tana River, Taita Taveta, Makueni, Lamu, Kwale, Mombasa, Kilifi, Kitui and Garissa counties, Republic of Kenya Cluster One.

"The assignment is expected to take 40 calendar weeks," said the advert placed by the Head of Supply Chain Management on behalf of Principal Secretary, State Department for Housing and Urban Development Charles Hinga.

According to the Kisip National Coordinator George Arwa, the project is not involved in building housing but improving infrastructure within informal settlements including roads, high-mast lights, water distribution pipes, consumer connections, lateral sewer line, trunk sewer, sewer inspection chambers, solid waste management facility and later enable them to get title deeds.

"After enabling them to get title deeds is when we can link them up to government projects like affordable housing or public-private partnership to get affordable housing," Mr Arwa told Real Estate yesterday.

He said Kisip is divided into four components for ease of management and has made significant contributions towards improving the living conditions of people in informal settlements who have benefited from infrastructure and security of tenure. Under infrastructure interventions, 98.289 kilometres of road were constructed to bitumen standards in the first phase of Kisip, and 63.048km of sewer pipeline and 112.494km of water pipeline laid, among other developments.

Interested firms should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the services.

Among the three criteria are that the firm shall be registered or incorporated as a consulting firm with core business in mapping or related assignments in the urban built environment for a period of at least 10 years. The firm should also demonstrate having successfully executed and completed at least one assignment in spatial analysis or planning, GIS data management or mapping, socio-economic studies and analysis of the informal settlements and slums in urban areas in a developing country in the last 10 years. Details of similar assignments including name and address of the client, scope, value and period should be provided.

The firm shall demonstrate as having the requisite technical capacity including relevant equipment, tools, software etc. and managerial capacity to undertake the assignment in the submitted company profile(s).

The EoI documents should be delivered by January 9, 2024.

The EoI is not only for the above nine mentioned counties under cluster one but also for Nairobi and Machakos counties in cluster two, and Kakamega, Bungoma, Tranz-Nzoia, Siaya, Homa Bay, Nyamira, Narok, Migori, Busia, Vihiga, Kisii and Kisumu counties under cluster three.

Cluster four has Kiambu, Embu, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Tharaka Nithi, Mandera, Laikipia, Murang'a, Marsabit, Wajir, Nyandarua and Isiolo counties.

Samburu, Elgeyo Marakwet, Kericho, West Pokot, Bomet, Baringo, Nandi, Nakuru, Uasin Gishu, Kjaiado, Turkana counties fall under cluster five. Started as Kenya Slum Upgrading Programme in 2003, the Sh883 billion project was to be completed by 2020 but encountered financial constraints, forcing the government to review its action plan and introduce the Kisip in 2011, where it would partner with donors instead of footing the entire upgrading budget cost.

The programme seeks to improve the living conditions in informal settlements and provide security of tenure to residents of those settlements.

In phase two of the project, a team is currently undertaking a key validation exercise for community-led settlement level interventions covering thematic areas such as solid waste management, crime and violence and disaster management in the informal settlements.