Policy Brief No. 24 of 2022-2023 on Pathways to Development of Nairobi Towards Gaining a Smart City Status

Abstract

Smart cities have gained popularity in first-world countries. The foundational elements of a smart city are present in Nairobi City, both in terms of hard and soft infrastructure.

has not yet achieved the status of smart city. In order to become a smart city, the expansion of the city must be accelerated. Given that the nation boasts some of the best Internet connections in Africa and that 52.4% of city people use the Internet, this is likely. Additionally, with a 75.0% mobile penetration rate, it has the highest rates in Africa. The mismatch between the city's many infrastructural networks, however, is the main issue. To ensure data availability in a smart city, various social, corporate, information technology, and physical infrastructure networks must be interconnected.Nairobi City County is the single city that contributes the largest share of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). For instance, in 2021, the county contributed 27.5% of GDP. Making Nairobi a smart city will allow for an inflow of talent and investments as a result of a higher happiness index and a safer environment. This will further lead to an increase in GDP contribution, hence improving the economy. To have a central system, the city needs to address the following fundamental issues.there is need to know the city first, which can be achieved through digitalization. After the records are digitalized, technologies can now be integrated to search, analyze and interpret the information. Digitalization could also helpin tracking progress.