Only 18 per cent of Nairobi is safe, safety audit report shows

CCTV cameras in Nairobi. An audit report by the Nairobi City County and UN Habitat’s Safer Cities Programme shows that only 18 per cent of the city is safe. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The report covered 744 kilometres of roads in Nairobi.
  • It placed Nairobi at position 46 in the crime index report with a score of 63.24.
  • It also places Nairobi position 231 in the safest cities in the world and a safety index of 36.76 in the 277 cities surveyed.
  • The report corroborates findings of another one released mid-2016 by Numbeo.

An audit report by the Nairobi City County and UN Habitat’s Safer Cities Programme shows that only 18 per cent of the city is safe.

The report dubbed “The City’s Report on the State of Urban Security” is based on a city-wide urban safety audit carried out between March, 2015 and June, 2016 by the county government in collaboration with Safetipin, a map-based online and mobile application.

As a result of the report, City residents are now able to ascertain the safety of their neighbourhoods.

The report covered 744 kilometres of roads in Nairobi with the audit showing that only 18 per cent of Nairobi is safe, 56 per cent of streets in the capital fairly lit, 35 per cent having good visibility and 56 per cent having access to public transport.

The report corroborates findings of another one released mid-2016 by Numbeo, a free database of user-contributed data about cities and countries worldwide.

It placed Nairobi at position 46 in the crime index report with a score of 63.24 and position 231 in the safest cities in the world and a safety index of 36.76 in the 277 cities surveyed.

SAFER LIVING IN CITY

Speaking during the launch, Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero said the unique application provides a holistic approach to addressing safety and security that will foster safer living in the city

“This Safetipin application audit has indicated where people feel unsafe and why they feel that way.

“With these revelations, the county government will be able to plan and act to effect change through formulation of informed policies, decisions and investments that support the promise of a safer Nairobi for its citizens,” said Dr Kidero.

He added that the audit report is also expected to provide an opportunity for stakeholder engagement and promote a multi-stakeholder approach to crime prevention that will allow all stakeholders to deliver measurable improvements in safety.

DEVELOP SAFETY STRATEGIES

“This audit will allow all of us, including the national government, to deliver measurable improvement in safety. It also presents us with another step to generate data to help the county in developing strategies to build a safe city,” he added.

Governor Kidero also revealed that the county was planning to establish a modern centre for learning aimed at building the capacity of the county’s security team and empower them to better respond to urban management and governance issues arising from rapid urbanisation.

On her part, co-founder of Safetipin India, Dr Kalpana Viswanath, said that the technology was a platform that uses data to make cities more inclusive, safe and free from violence, particularly for women and girls, by collecting information and engaging individuals and institutions to create solutions.

“Apart from Nairobi, Safetipin methodology has been successfully applied in New Delhi in India, Bogota in Colombia and Jakarta in Indonesia.

“This platform will save lives, make urban dwelling enjoyable and improve the environment for business,” she said.