Homa Bay, Kenya 24 February 2016 -UN-Habitat was part of a high powered delegation that took part at the Homa Bay International Investments Conference (HOBIIC). Homa Bay is one of the counties in Kenya and has been trying to attract investments. The conference brought together investors and government officials keen to help the county government to improve service delivery to the citizens.
During the conference, UN-Habitat’s Marco Kamiya, the Leader of UN-Habitat’s Urban Economy and Finance Branch, held talks with the Governor Cyprian Awiti on enhancing revenue generation through improving business climate and attracting investment opportunities in the county. The discussions focused on establishing a framework for improving service delivery through enhanced revenue collection mechanisms

The expected outcomes include increased land value finance, improved electronic Governance (eGov) systems with ICT for financial management and tax collection as well as a “Rapid Financial Assessment” that will provide quick knowledge and baseline data. The County government has also requested UN-Habitat to leverage on its Urban Planning expertise to support Local Economic Development within the county through technical and financial support. UN-Habitat has engaged the county government since 2015.