The document summarizes the governance of the food system in Nairobi City under the devolved system of government in Kenya. It describes two transitions the city is undergoing: from centralized national agriculture policy to devolved county-level decision making, and from solely regulating to both regulating and promoting urban agriculture. It outlines the key laws and plans governing this transition and the collaborative network between county departments responsible for different aspects of the food system like production, safety, processing and distribution. It concludes that the county has drafted a food system strategy and is working with stakeholders to finalize and implement the strategy through projects like NADHALI.

1. Nairobi City Urban Food System
By
Dr Bernard Mugenyo
County Executive Committee Member
Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Sector
Nairobi City County
Presentation for FAO Investment Centre Seminary

2. City in Transition (1)
• Nairobi is undergoing two transitions:
– From implementing national agriculture policy
through a centralized governance structure to a
devolved system with sub-national decision-
making on specific strategies and instruments to
implement national agriculture policy;
– From regulating agriculture under urban physical
plans to both regulating and promoting urban
agriculture.

3. City in Transition (2)
• The instruments for managing the transition are;
– The Constitution of Kenya
• agricultural policy by national government
• agriculture function by county governments
– The Urban and Cities Act
• board of City to zone areas for agriculture
• development plan of city to provide framework of regulated UA
– The County Governments Act
• provides governance structures and capacities for counties
– The County Integrated Development Plan
• 5-year plan integrating both national and county objectives
– The Nairobi City County Urban Agriculture Promotion and
Regulation Act
• promotion of agriculture within limits set by various existing law

4. Governance of Food System
Governor
CEC
Sub-county
administration
(Enforcement)
CECM
Agriculture
(food
production)
Agriculture
dept
Livestoc
k &
fisheries
dept
Forestry &
natural
resources
dept
Policy unit
CECM
Health
(food
safety)
CECM
Trade (food
processing &
retail)
CECM
Transpor
t (food
distributi
on)
CECM
Plannin
g

5. Collaborative network
• County Agriculture Sector has achieved good
inter-sectoral collaboration upon greater
understanding of the function by government.
• CIDP encourages partnership, linkages and
collaboration, e.g.:
– Multi-stakeholder forum
• started under the State department of Agriculture before
commencement of the devolved system of government
• set to be revitalized under FAO-NADHALI project.
– Inter-governmental Relations Fora
• structure for formal cooperation and consultation between
national and county government

6. Way Forward
• County government has drafted a Food System
Strategy document;
– awaits public participation process
• Agriculture Sector is ready to roll out NADHALI.
• Food Systems Strategy to be revised with lessons
from studies to be done under NADHALI.
• Multi-stakeholder Forum to enrich, corroborate
and later implement Food Systems Strategy.