Katy Fentress, Nairobi Community Manager
On the 12th of December, Kenya celebrated Jamhuri (Independence) Day. The event came at the end of a year that played host to a roller coaster of emotions for all those who have a part of themselves invested in this country.
Nairobi’s 2013 was a year that witnessed impressive progress in terms of infrastructure development, but in which the government made no significant progress on providing services to the city’s numerous slum dwellers. It was a year in which Nairobians came together in great shows of unity, but also saw neighborhoods turn against each other; a year of victories and pride, but also one of great loss and shame. 2013 was the year in which it became clear to what extent corruption puts everyone’s security at risk and the year that the term “Silicon savannah” began to gain serious traction in the business world.
Politics, technology, infrastructure development, and finance ruled the discussion board in 2013 and laid important cornerstones for future discussions on how the country will develop and evolve.
In politics, Kenyans collectively held their breath for three months in the run-up to the elections. Come Election Day in Nairobi and the rest of the country, people eager to be counted queued for hours in the sun and dust in long peaceful lines. As radios and TV channels preached the mantra of non-violence — occasionally at the expense of the truth — the #KOT (Kenyans on Twitter) hashtag acquired prominence, and people flocked to social media to vent grievances or poke fun at the international press.
Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero was voted in on a slew of electoral promises — amongst which, to improve service delivery to the capital, improve the living standards of slum dwellers, and address the problem of Dandora, the city’s overflowing dumpsite. Ten months after elections, the promises are yet to be met: Kidero has held meetings with representatives of Nairobi’s different slums, where he reiterated his commitment to increasing employment opportunities for youth; his wife has made public donations to various slum orphanages; and the Dandora question is under discussion.
Yet lack of communication between the lands ministry, the Governor’s office, and interested stakeholders resulted in Nubian settlers from Kibera slum not being issued title deeds they had been promised, and the lighting, security, and city-wide cleanup residents believed would take place failed to materialize.
In infrastructure development, despite a few hiccups, work on Nairobi’s southern and eastern bypasses continued to move forward, as did the construction of Nairobi’s new international airline terminal, which was launched in December despite the chaos that followed the burning of the arrivals terminal in August this year. The Nairobi light commuter rail network opened a new station, the Safaricom Kasarani stadium was brought to completion, and Machakos county (part of the city’s larger metropolitan area) unveiled its ambitious development plan and how it intends to create Machowood, Kenya’s first dedicated film production studios.
Progresses in technology were routinely feted, the term “Silicon Savannah” became increasingly popular amongst technological investors eager to branch into the burgeoning African market, and Microsoft and IBM moved their African headquarters to Nairobi. Yet people’s trust in technology took a strong blow after the hyped-up IEBC e-voting machines routinely broke down over the election, prompting pollsters to return to a more traditional and easy-to-tamper-with ballot system.
Finance went from strength to strength as the Kenyan stock market continued to rise throughout the year and the government began to recognize that the most sustainable form of development was the one that came from the grassroots. As a result, efforts were stepped up to invest in youth and women’s savings groups through the newly introduced Uwezo Fund.
Photo 3: Javi Moreno. Photo 4: Damiano Lotteria.