Urban Boards Guidebook Pilot Training

Nakuru City Board, the governing body of the newly established City of Nakuru, was amongst the beneficiaries of training on the Urban Boards Guidebook under the final phases of development as a tool for urban governance and management in Kenya. The training sought to pilot the Guidebook as part of an assignment commissioned by the State Department of Housing and Urban Development (SDHUD) under the Kenya Urban Support Program (KUSP) and undertaken in collaboration with the Council of Governors. The training was undertaken by the Civil Society Urban Development Platform (CSUDP) and attended by all the 11 Board members and management team at the Rift Valley Sports Club, Nakuru on 07 November 2023.

CSUDP has developed the Urban Boards Guidebook (UBGB) and Training Guide, which are aimed at enhancing the capacity and performance of the Urban Boards established under the Urban Areas and Cities Act (UACA) of 2011 (amended 2019). Four themes designed for the pilot training included; relationship building between principle-agency, corporate governance using the governance operating model, performance management and measurement, and accountability internally and externally.

Led by the Chairman of the Board, Mr. Steve Muli, the members lauded the training session as being highly beneficial to the orientation of the Board and preparation for performance given that a majority of the Board members are new. Other Board members, who further expressed that such training should be repeated to provide more time for the Board members to internalize the various aspects, reiterated this position. The City Manager Mr. Gitau Thabanja, who led the Management team in the training, was emphatic that the training set good ground for relationship building between the Board and Management, adding his voice to that of the Board for additional sessions. The team was particularly impressed with the delivery method that included illustration through local case studies and captions from practice captured through the primary survey conducted amongst the urban boards.

The feedback received during the training will be incorporated in the Training Guide to further enrich its value and make it more practical for application. CSUDP team, led by the CEO George Wasonga and Prof. Alfred Omenya, lauded the Nakuru Board and Management for their active and informed engagement noting that their valuable input will go along way in strengthening the training guide.