Two months ago, the gubernatorial candidates held debates to discuss the policy agenda they have for our cities. It was a contest pitted with political agenda and suave political promises. The debate for the leadership of East Africa’s most pivotal city is significant as it addresses issues that affect the most sophisticated or elite corporate juggernaut and the most impoverished street family. This is why discourses on matters of urban planning, inclusion, equality, and progress cost a vote in every poll.

Within this context, it is important to realize how the economic policies made by politicians impact our wellness in the urban cosmopolitans. It is a matter of asking how well the various categories of people shall benefit from the economy to realize their goals without widening the inequality gap. It is planning the resources in such a manner that there are fair earnings for the street hawker, sustained revenues for the retail chains, confidence among investors, social security for the most vulnerable, and prosperity for all. I assume this is the desire of the common citizen, who wakes up every morning and finds fulfillment in their labor while pursuing their dreams. They have fewer concerns about whether the economy is socialistic or capitalistic or even communistic, their desire is to have a city they can realize their aspirations.

In the pursuit of these economic aspirations, it is evident that many of them face the strife that urban life portents. A ghastly sense of uncertainty. An increased sense of individualism, and an exceeding rise of defensiveness. These are to a great extent the marks of urban distress, and present themselves in worry, depression, and anxiety.

It is within this context we seek to engage the citizenry in a manner that portends their wellness. We are not conceited about the extent of problems that the city offers, or its largeness, we realize that economic empowerment is one of the issues that is underdeveloped in many policy agendas.

Our approach considers that economic distress has its variabilities, and that is why we are keen on implementing caucuses or social groups upon which the urbanites can lean in. Not even, the most economically advanced person is saved from the distress that comes with ambition or the unexpected contexts of everyday life. The need to grind, meet deadlines and attain some sense of equilibrium. Many are resigned to the fact that equilibrium and security are merely an illusion. Within such a cosmos, it is certain that even the successful end up feeling empty and unrealized. 

On the other hand, to address the policy issues, we note that the private sector, both profit and non-profit organizations have to play an increasingly paramount role in reinterpreting socioeconomic issues. After all, in a layered society, the biggest challenge among policy implementers is the dualism between what the policy anticipates and what the policy achieves. This underscores the necessity for governance experts to collaborate with the private sector in developing policies that are “for the people”. 

By Meshack Nzioka