KENYA’S SMART CITY BLUEPRINT DRIVE.

Urbanization is a powerful driver of economic development and social mobility. It is also

catalyst for technological progress, as we see in cities globally. Kenya is no exception. We

are already home to the world’s fastest-growing cities. It is estimated that half of Africans will be living in cities by 2030. This irreversible trend is fundamentally positive for our continent’s prosperity.

But as young promising innovative Kenyan millennials,we all have to think ahead;with or without the big 4 agenda. It is up to us to plan adequately for urban expansion by anticipating the higher standard of public services, housing, livability, and economic opportunity that our grand sons and daughters expect and deserve.Lets use our institutions,societies,groups and regulated bodies to provide every young aspiring Kenyan with an overview of what they have prepared for us as a nation,the challenges they foresee and the road map they would otherwise opt for if such an initiative was to kick off earlier than expected(STEM is catching up so fast in this 4.0 gen).

My key message to our government,NGOs,private sectors and any other key players(both local and international) is to integrate available technology at every level of urban management(A case study being what IBM is currently involved in to improve Nairobi city-Information dashboards powered by real-time sensors and data analytics can help to deliver better services at lower cost). But technology is not a panacea, and it does not run on auto-pilot.To get the cities we want, i humbly urge the government and all other stakeholder interested in improving the blueprint of Kenya as a smart country to always keep the young millennials at the center of its efforts.Technology alone cannot do that for us.

However,the ‘smart cities’ framework should powerfully focuses our attention on the factors that make a city conducive to growth, health, and sustainability. It should also

offers a platform to bring all stakeholders together to find the best solutions. Crucially, these technologies also provide new ways to track progress toward the goals we set(again,big 4 or otherwise), and for us as a younger vibrant generation to contribute actively to the process along the way.

Transforming Kenyan cities will transform Africa as a whole with time……i firmly believe so. We have the means and the knowledge to do things differently and better — in a word, smartly.

Let’s come together to make it happen………summoning all Kenyan engineers to be at the fore front of this noble nifty call.

Authored & Compiled by: Samwel Kariuki

12th Sept 2018