Nairobi is famous for several reasons, both good and bad

It is the seat of the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep); has a national park teeming with flora and fauna –though this is being eyed by developers who think animals have fewer rights to this planet than we do, yet we all die and the earth finally has its say.

Nairobi is a dynamic city, sucking talent from all over the world. Despite devolution, the city still distils the best brains from the counties, which is not unusual for big cities. Devolution increased the prestige of the city – noted how governors and MCAs are forever hanging around? Of all the money given to the counties, what percentage eventually flows back to Nairobi?

On the bad side, Nairobi has slums that are worse than those in other towns; residents live in fear of economic meltdown, their neighbours, crime and terrorists; depersonalisation takes a toll on personal happiness; and the pollution of water and air dilutes the illusion of grandeur espoused by skyscrapers and roads.

But hidden beneath the concrete and lights is the fact that Nairobi is a humanitarian hub for East and Central Africa.

Humanitarian programmes in the horn of Africa use Nairobi as a launching pad because of its communication network. Whether for South Sudan or Somalia, lots of aid passes through Nairobi. Lots of humanitarian workers are based in Nairobi, too.

Humanitarian programmes, whether responding to drought, war or floods, need a central location to co-ordinate their activities. Most embassies in Nairobi have sections dealing with humanitarian issues.

Largest donor

The importance of humanitarian work, particularly the logistics and supply chain, was the theme of the fifth African Logistics Conference held at the University of Nairobi last week. The conference brought together academics and practitioners to discuss how to improve humanitarian logistics.

The UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that donors have committed $88.7 million (Sh9 billion) in humanitarian assistance to Kenya since the start of this year. The United States is currently the largest donor to Kenya in 2016, contributing 28 per cent of total funding.

Together, US and European Union institutions accounted for 65 per cent of all funding as at September. Add the money that goes to neighbouring countries through Kenya and you begin to realise the impact on the economy.

Humanitarian aid’s impact is felt in many ways, including creating demand for services like accommodation, food and transport.

The conference brought another angle to humanitarian issues – cash transfers that can be used instead of food and other items.

Nairobi has not exploited its position as a humanitarian hub the same way it has positioned itself as a financial hub.

Setting standards

Logistics and transport should be bigger than they are, making a bigger contribution to GDP and setting standards for humanitarian services globally. The learnings from humanitarian operations are transferable to the rest of the world. Few cities have had the privilege Nairobi has, hosting large-scale humanitarian operations.

Long after peace prevails in Somalia and Sudan, the knowledge gained in humanitarian operations, from sourcing to storage and distribution, can be used in other sectors. The UK used its colonial experience to make London the financial hub of the world long after the sun had set on the empire.

One easy way to ensure best practices are retained and shared with other sectors of the economy is through integrating that into the curriculum for the next generation.

It is strange that outsiders get Nobel prizes for research done in Kenya.

An example is Elinor Ostrom (1933-2012) who got an Economics Nobel Prize in 2009. Part of her work was done in Kenya, focusing on how traditional societies interact with the environment without degrading it. Which society did not have sacred sites, mostly water sources? Was that not their way of preserving the environment? Elizabeth Gachenga, a law lecturer, has built on Ostrom’s research with the study, Governing the Commons Through Customary Law Systems of Water Governance: The Case of the Marakwet.

The knowledge and experiences that Kenya has acquired over the years hosting refugees, responding to cross-borders issues in neighbouring countries can be transferred to other parts of the world and constitute part of our heritage. We should not take it for granted.

Managing a supply chain during emergencies in places without roads or at war, hosting refugees, working with different nationalities, balancing local and global interests, is no feeble achievement. We should leverage on this experience to teach the rest of the world. Even though humanitarian activities are not desirable; they are a part of us. We must see the positive side to it.

The writer is senior lecturer, University of Nairobi. [email protected]