By Evans Kidero

A good starting point in this direction will be to study the 1993 Nairobi City Convention Report christened ‘The Nairobi We Want’

In the last few decades, good governance has become an important catchphrase not just on matters political and among civil society, but even more patently among practitioners of modern management. Governance is central to the positive long-term development and survival of any organisation, whether public or private. Without good governance, an organisation may prosper for some time, but will certainly meet its untimely end.

Whether it is in the management of multi-billion shilling corporations or running a County Government, there are certain irrefutable home truths.

Key among them is good governance. It is the foundation on which successful enterprises are built.

Good governance include ethos that form the basic DNA of well-ran corporations.

Public affairs

 This is something lacking in the management of public affairs more so in the capital city of Nairobi.

But thanks to the new Constitution and a devolved government, Kenyans now have a chance to demand and get the best of private sector culture in the management of affairs of Nairobi County.

A good starting point in this direction will be to study the 1993 Nairobi City Convention Report christened The Nairobi We Want. 

The Nairobi City Convention brought together public and private sectors stakeholders to give their reasoned view how they wanted the Nairobi to be governed.

In this study spearheaded by then Nairobi Mayor, the late Steve ‘Magic’ Mwangi, a number of governance issues were identified as the biggest impediments to ‘the Nairobi We Want’.

Although Nairobi County has an abundance of resources from human capital, natural resources to billions of shillings collected in taxes and revenue, mismanagement, corruption and sheer waste have reduced it into a beggar it should not be.

Properly managed, Nairobi County has the resources to finance its operations, recurrent expenditures as well as development that will make Nairobi the world-class city it deserves to be.

An administration that practices financial prudence eschews corruption and wholeheartedly embraces transparency, fairness and equity while at the same time providing opportunities for all is what Nairobi County needs.

That is the kind of county envisaged in The Nairobi We Want study twenty years ago and it is the kind of Nairobi voters should demand from those they elect to govern affairs of this central county.

But this is not be the first time Nairobi is going autonomous.

History students will recall that Nairobi and Mombasa once ran as autonomous entities and delivered acceptable levels of services to residents until the system was disrupted by the central government.

Downhill business

From then on, things have never been the same again. It has been downhill business with Nairobi often unable to provide even the most basic of services to rate payers.

Unnecessary bureaucracy has bogged down decision-making process in the City Council and there is hardly any system in place for participatory consultations with stakeholders.

Management of Nairobi

The insufficient consultative participation of stakeholders in the management of Nairobi affairs limits the effectiveness of governance in the city and negatively affects the delivery of services.

This is besides creating room for corruption and mismanagement and poor distribution of resources.

However, the recent growth of resident groups such as Nairobi Central Business District Association, Karen-Langata Neighbourhood Association, and Runda Residents Association, among others, is a welcome development because it provides an avenue for checks and balances in the management of county affairs.

The writer is aspiring Governor for Nairobi