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This paper undertakes a critical analysis of participation as employed in planning for the Mukuru informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya. In 2017, these settlements were declared a Special Planning Area (SPA) by the Nairobi City County Government, which triggered a participatory process aimed at developing an integrated development plan for the settlements. The SPA process, examined here as a mode of city-making, is understood as a political project that was aimed at reorienting power relations in the city and redefining the conditions of urban citizenship. It enabled the entry of the inhabitants of Mukuru into official domains of participation from which they engaged with other stakeholders in identifying pressing issues within the settlements, leading to co-produced interventions. The paper examines how participation was understood and tested in the SPA, its transformative aspects and some pitfalls that undermined the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws from two experiences with decentralisation in Kenya to illustrate the different ways through which the central government has sought to bolster its power at the expense of the local government in the country’s capital, Nairobi during periods of vertically-unified authority. In the first instance, it examines the years between 1983 and 1992 during which the central government appointed a Commission to replace the elected Nairobi City Council. The second period that is examined is between 2017 and 2022 when certain devolved functions were transferred from the elected Nairobi City County Government to a newly established institution appointed by the President, the Nairobi Metropolitan Service. During both periods authority was vertically unified with the ruling parties also being in control of the city. Drawing on a series of interviews with various stakeholders and inhabitants of informal settlements, the paper argues that contrary to what much literature suggests, recentralisation of urban governance not only occurs in situations of vertically-divided authority but can also occur where authority is unified. Some of the conditions that enabled these power consolidation moves together with the outcomes that these generated are also examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Kenyan legal framework accords robust safeguards to private property rights. It is only in few cases that these rights may be limited. In Kenya, many informal settlements are on private land, which can limit the ability of residents to access life-saving basic services. Here, we explore how a public health emergency in Mukuru, one of Nairobi's largest informal settlements, gave rise to a redefinition of private property, security of tenure and delivery of water and sanitation. We suggest that "everyday emergency" of public health threats in informal settlements offers an opportunity to ensure that property and planning norms deliver rights to both secure tenure and human health. Ultimately, we explore the place of public health in (re)negotiating for land rights in Nairobi, particularly to ensure that the urban poor can express their rights to health and well-being and assess what this portends for planners in their quest to upgrade informal settlements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The healthcare sector in Kenya has been in a state of turmoil for a long time with this manifesting itself in varied forms. This has in many ways translated to adverse outcomes on individuals seeking healthcare services. Incrementally funding the healthcare sector has not necessarily translated to the improvement of services offered. This is indicative of the fact that past approaches to development have failed to acknowledge that development is a combination of distinct processes, at times having glaring intersectionalities. Particularly, the place of law as a tool for social, economic, and political change has been underappreciated with devastating consequences. Failure to adhere to the Rule of Law in the health sector has principally been a structural barrier to health improvement in the country with a multitude of stakeholders in the health sector being willing partakers in the disregard of the law. The implication of this has been a health sector that is riddled with corruption, disregard of court processes, the mushrooming of rogue providers, and high mortality rates which in the end translates to apathy from the users of healthcare services. This paper asserts the place of the Rule of Law as a foundational determinant of health. The paper analyzes some of the pitfalls that have plagued the health sector in Kenya and draws a connection between these challenges and the failure to adhere to the law. What becomes apparent throughout this analysis is that a strong correlation exists between likely health outcomes and adherence to the law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many countries in Africa have recently embarked on fasttracking connectivity with other African countries in a bid to, among other things, attract investments and skill power. The main front of these initiatives has been the move towards the elimination of visa requirements among African states. This move has been further justified by arguments that have been made on the global scene by development economists and by the vision of Pan-Africanism. Eapid globalization and increased border openness, however, pose several health hazards and increase the spread of infectious diseases. The recent wake of the Ebola virus, and the weak responses by the African countries that were the most affected by it, is illustrative of this. The spread of diseases across borders has a concomitant effect of increasing disease burdens in countries which are then forced to spend more money to combat these diseases. This resultantly increases health disparities in these countries, further entrenching inequity when it comes to access to healthcare. This is notwithstanding the fact that most African countries have strained public health systems that are already struggling to cope with local demands and mostly rely on charities to deal with emergencies. Therefore, globalization increases the call for the intensification of international cooperation among states to protect the health of their populations. This paper argues for increased cooperation, both regionally, among African states, and globally, to strengthen national detection systems, and to facilitate fast responses in lieu of the increased movements of people and goods, which is likely to result from a visa-free Africa. The paper further calls on African states to be attentive to public health concerns that may arise from increased cross-border movements and take appropriate measures to improve detection and responses to any concerns that may arise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]