CSUDP

🌍 World Cities Day 2025 | People-Centered Smart Cities This year’s World Cities Day highlights the importance of people-centered smart cities — a vision where urban technology, data, and innovation are designed to enhance quality of life and improve service delivery, especially for those most affected by urban challenges. Through the Strengthening Civil Society Engagement for a Just and Sustainable Urbanization (SCEJU) project, co-funded by the European Union, partners are supporting inclusive digital engagement on urban water and waste management in Kisumu, Nakuru, and Makueni counties. This includes capacity-building initiatives such as: ✅ Digital advocacy training through the YOSUDA e-learning platform ✅ Stakeholder dialogues on policy and service delivery ✅ Support to informal water and waste actors through training and research ✅ Data collection and learning for inclusive urban planning As conversations on smart cities continue, it remains important to explore how emerging technologies and local knowledge systems can complement each other to promote more inclusive, responsive, and resilient urban spaces. #WorldCitiesDay #SCEJU #UrbanSustainability #YOSUDA #EUFunded #SmartCities #ClimateJustice #PeopleCenteredDevelopment

Strengthening Policy for Informal Water & Waste Actors in Nakuru Under the Strengthening Civil Society Engagement for a Just and Sustainable Urbanization (SCEJU) project, co-funded by the European Union and implemented by FES Kenya, CSUDP, and PACJA, stakeholders in Nakuru County convened through the Just and Sustainable Urbanization Platform (JSUP) for a pivotal policy dialogue on improving governance within the water and waste sectors. The meeting, chaired by Dr. Nelson Tanui Maara, CECM for Water, Environment, Energy, Climate Change, and Natural Resources, brought together representatives from NAWASCO, Kenya Forest Service, Nakuru City Board, and local civil society organizations to review recommendations from a recent stakeholder survey. Key areas of focus included: ✅ Harmonizing municipal by-laws with national water service regulations ✅ Formal recognition and inclusion of informal actors in county frameworks ✅ Adoption of digital tools for real-time engagement and monitoring ✅ Cross-sector coordination to improve urban service delivery at the periphery In his remarks, Dr. Maara reaffirmed Nakuru County’s commitment to collaborating with the SCEJU consortium to embed these policy recommendations into local planning and governance frameworks. The dialogue marks a critical step toward integrating informal actors into policy processes and advancing climate-smart, inclusive urban governance — a core goal of the SCEJU partnership. #SCEJU #PACJA #UrbanGovernance #WasteManagement #WaterJustice #InclusivePolicy #CircularEconomy #ClimateAction #NakuruCounty

♻ Voices from the Frontline: Waste Actors Training in Kisumu Under the SCEJU Project, PACJA and partners concluded the 3rd round of Waste Actors Training (Cohorts 21–24) at Ofafa Memorial Hall, Kisumu. Key issues raised: - Multiple levies and fees are raising the cost of doing business for recyclers. In one case, a levy was hiked by 90%, driving actors to court. - Gender & safety concerns: Young women joining the sector face heightened risks and competition with male counterparts. - Solutions: Participants stressed the importance of registering with umbrella associations for collective bargaining and redress. These insights are shaping a new dialogue between policymakers and informal actors — because waste governance must include those who live it every day. #PACJA #SCEJU #ClimateJustice #WasteManagement @csudpkenya @FesKenya