Nakuru City will celebrate its first World Cities Day in 2022 after it was officially transformed into a city in December 2021 when former President Uhuru Kenyatta, gave it a city charter.
This made it the fourth largest after Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kisumu.
World Cities Day closes Urban October as it is celebrated every October 31. It made its debut in the city of Shanghai in 2014. It is always hosted in a different city each year. Eight years later, it has made its way back home, in Shanghai.
The 2022 World Cities Day Theme is “Act Local to Go Global.” It simply means that the goals are global but implementation of the said goals has to be local for them to be achieved.
According to the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, there are more than half of all people living in urban areas right now. By 2050, two-thirds will also be urban residents.
Different partners and diverse stakeholders have been in a coalition together to share experiences and approaches towards local action. There is need to know what is required to empower local and regional governments to create greener, more equitable and sustainable cities.
It is imperative for local governments to join hands, in order to put an end to the climate chaos, poverty, gender inequality, hunger and education.
Act Local to Go Global.
BY CHRISTINE OMONDI