Kisumu, Kenya 1 December 2015-- Kisumu County Government has contributed USD 100,000 to the on-going joint Kisumu County/UN-Habitat initiative on the Kisumu Lakefront development. The Contribution Agreement was signed by the Governor of Kisumu County, Mr. Jack Ranguma, and the UN-Habitat Executive Director, Dr. Joan Clos at a partnership agreement signing ceremony in Kisumu on 1 December, 2015.

The Lakefront area was designated Special Planning Area 1 in the Integrated Strategic Urban Development Plan which was approved in June 2015. Kisumu County has embraced a collaborative approach towards the redevelopment of the Kisumu Lakefront, and is working closely with different stakeholders as part of its efforts towards the sustainable development of the city.

The commitment from the county government will help the initiative move forward within the broader city-wide framework. At the ceremony, which was attended by representatives of Kenya Railways Corporation, Kenya Ports Authority, Kenya Maritime Authority and the French Development Agency, as well as private sector and civil society representatives from Kisumu, the Governor of Kisumu County stated that 'today we move the Lakefront Initiative – which is part of the Transform Kisumu Agenda – towards implementation. Since we adopted the Strategic Integrated Urban Development Plan, this has been identified as a Special Planning Area and we are well aware of its potential for Kisumu's development.'

The UN-Habitat Executive Director emphasised that 'through a common vision like the one on this Initiative, cities can avoid fragmented and ad-hoc development which undermine the productivity and thus the prosperity of cities and their people.'
The ceremony was followed by a visit to key development sites along the lakeshore which showcased the great economic and environmental assets of the lake, Kisumu County and the whole region.

UN-Habitat's involvement with Kisumu started in 2012 when former Mayor Sam Okello met with the Executive Director, and he pledged the support of the agency to the city-wide planning process in Kisumu. Since then, UN-Habitat has been working closely with the County to explore opportunities for collectively moving the process forward and will continue to do so.