Singapool: Why the journey to Singapore may have to be by boat

A man easen the flow of sewer lines along the streets of Kisumu on March 28 2018. [File, Standard]

Nairobi Once again, the rain came, and with it a familiar disaster: Streets turned to rivers, homes were submerged, businesses were shuttered, and vital services ground to a halt. This is not the first time, and unless urgent changes are made, it will not be the last. Nairobi's latest floods lay bare a hard truth: poor urban planning and overstretched infrastructure have turned seasonal rains into citywide emergencies that spare no one.

The choice of Singapore as the benchmark is not incidental. In political and governance circles, the citystate is repeatedly cited as the vision national leaders say they seek to emulate: Disciplined planning, enforced standards, and efficient public services.