Victor Wanyama: We must celebrate the value of our local communities on World Cities Day

Africa Cup of Nations 2019 - Group C - Kenya v Tanzania - 30 June Stadium, Cairo, Egypt - June 27, 2019 Kenya's Victor Wanyama in action REUTERS

I was pleased and proud when I heard that the main Global Observance of this year’s World Cities Day was being co-hosted by Kenya from Nakuru today Saturday October 31, 2020. This is a first for Africa. And I was particularly interested because the theme this year is “valuing our communities and cities” – a subject close to my heart.

Our local communities have proven to be a Godsend for so many of us. This is true in our poor urban areas and slums where neighbours help each other with food and support, religious groups, youth and women’s organizations all provide critical help to those with little or no resources of their own. And this has helped so many desperate people during the COVID pandemic.