GOVERNOR SAKAJA ANNOUNCES NEW CHANGES IN NAIROBI

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has launched the implementation of a physical address system that will be used to identify buildings and locations for city residents.

The physical address system will involve naming streets and numbering the properties located on them.

The address will have a numerical property identifier which is the property number and the street

Nairobi is the second city in East Africa to implement the physical address system after Kigali in Rwanda. The system will be integrated with the five administrative boroughs in Nairobi.

Speaking while receiving the physical address system from an urban consultant at City Hall, Mr Sakaja has said the address system will be integrated with the five Nairobi county boroughs to bring amenities close to city residents.

“The physical address system will help the county government in the planning and provision of amenities for our city residents. We will engage in a mass public participation process to help city residents understand it and how they can label their businesses using the system,” Mr Sakaja said.

The county government has already initiated a process of labeling all the streets in Nairobi and the properties located on these streets in an effort to ensure that the process is completed within a short time.

Mr Sakaja indicated the execution of the physical address system will begin with the already known streets in Nairobi Central Business District (CBD).

“Nairobi is a commercial city and the system will begin with the CBD where the different streets have already been labeled. The property owners will be told the property number and the physical address system so that those businesses that are ready will go ahead with the naming of their properties for their customers to easily access them,” Mr Sakaja added.

The physical address system will also be integrated with Google Maps to make it easier for navigation and delivery.

It will also improve the efficacy of public programmes such as the disaster relief programmes and integrated security.

City residents have been using landmarks which often involve popular buildings and streets within city center to identify their business locations and different places within CBD.

This will be a thing of the past with the launch of the physical address system.

The system will also be implemented in the informal settlements in Nairobi County where the county will use names of roads. In some places, the county will also issue new names to streets.

“A public participation process will be carried out and we will ensure that the names we will be giving these places are already popular with the residents,” he added.