Nairobi — Kenya's government requires KShs33 trillion (about US$423billion) to realize an ambitious plan that could see capital city Nairobi transformed into a modern metropolis to match the likes of Paris and New York.

The Nairobi Metro 2030 unveiled last Monday by President Mwai Kibaki will see the huge amounts of money pumped into world class infrastructure, a modern transport system and slum upgrading to realize a modern city.

The plan might be more of a pipe dream as no immediate strategy has been put in place to realize the mind-boggling amounts of money considering that the country's budget is far less than one trillion in a whole year.

The president and organizers of the plan only appealed to development partners and for strong working partnerships between the government and the private sector to realize this 22-year development strategy.

"The government is aware that the success of this plan requires massive resources.

This requires a comprehensive funding mechanism. It is therefore my humble appeal to our development partners and the private sector to help realize this dream," Kibaki pleaded at the launch.

Under the new plan, the metropolitan area of Nairobi will be expanded from the current 40 square kilometers to 100 square kilometers, a plan that will see some 13 currently independent municipalities dissolved to join the metropolis.

Kenya currently has a fully fledged Ministry of Nairobi Metropolitan Development, the first ever since independence and a product of the grand coalition government cobbled after two months of political turmoil following bungled presidential election in December 2007.

The plan is also in line with the country's development blueprint captured in Vision 2030.

"Towards this end, we are according priority to urban development, and specifically metropolitan development, as one of the driving forces that will propel our country into the status of a middle income rapidly industrializing country," Kibaki said.

Kenya, under Vision 2030, plans to create and develop metropolitan regions across the country, namely Nairobi, Mombasa , Kisumu-Kakamega, Nakuru-Eldoret, Wajir-Garissa-Mandera, and Kitui-Mwingi-Meru.

Kibaki explained that the decision to begin the implementation of the urban development strategy with the Nairobi metropolitan region is based on the fact that the capital city is the country's main gateway to the rest of the world.

He however said the local authorities in the Nairobi Metropolitan region are free to retain their independent status as corporate bodies in furtherance of their localized service delivery mandates.

On urban population, the president said there is need for strategic planning that will enable the country to adequately cope with the rapid growth of urban populations. He added that the country must also strategically respond to global trends with efforts being focused on positioning the nation as a leading regional and global stakeholder.

"I am therefore encouraged to note that the Nairobi Metro 2030 strategy has taken note of these developments and is focusing on tapping global economic opportunities, as well as benchmarking service delivery within the metropolitan region to world-class standards," Kibaki said.

The President observed that the Ministry of Nairobi Metropolitan Development website which he commissioned during the occasion will promote the development of the metropolis region's strategic role.

He emphasized the need for strong private sector participation, quality social responsibility and civic engagement for the country's cities to become competitive in the global economy. He asked Kenyans to also change their attitudes and stop viewing urban centres as temporary dwelling places but permanent habitations in which they all have a stake.

"This will ensure that we undertake the necessary investments needed to make urban centers ideal homes for the many people who now live in towns," the president emphasised.

He also stressed the need for urban planners to re-orient their thinking to focus more on how the country's cities will look like in a decade or two from today, saying the vision of developing the city of Nairobi into a regional and global services hub cannot be realized without undertaking major innovative reforms.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga said the Nairobi Metropolitan Development Strategy will apart from addressing issues of decongestion, insecurity and poverty, make the city investor friendly and thereby create job opportunities.

Mutula Kilonzo a Kibaki loyalist is the current minister in charge of Nairobi Metropolitan region.