Mudavadi leads Kenyan delegation to Azerbaijan for global housing forum

Themed “Housing the World: Safe and Resilient Cities and Communities,” the forum brings together world leaders, policymakers, and stakeholders in the housing sector to spotlight the urgent need to address the global housing crisis.

Global leaders will also seek to position housing as a driver of inclusive, resilient, and sustainable urban development.

According to Dr Mudavadi, the time has come to move from conversation to execution on housing, noting that it is imperative to deliberate on strategic urban planning.

“Kenya’s, and indeed Africa’s, urbanisation is accelerating at an unprecedented pace, and the time to move from conversation to execution is now,” he said.

The PCS has previously emphasised the urgent need to translate dialogue into actionable strategies and bankable projects that will shape the continent’s cities for generations.

WUF13 comes just a month after Nairobi hosted African heads of state and government, policymakers, urban planners, development partners, private sector leaders, and international experts for the Second Africa Urban Forum (AUF2) to discuss financing, governance, technology, and climate resilience.

Mudavadi argues that projections indicate Africa’s urban population will double from 700 million to 1.4 billion by 2050.

“Within a single generation, our cities will absorb hundreds of millions of new residents,” said Dr Mudavadi.

He warned that urban growth, if left unmanaged, could worsen housing deficits, overstretched public services, air pollution, and climate-related risks.

“These challenges are compounded by constrained fiscal space, weak governance structures, and limited access to long-term and innovative financing,” he said, while reflecting on Kenya’s own urban development journey.

The PCS noted that Kenya has undergone a significant transformation under the Affordable Housing Programme championed by President William Ruto, while acknowledging the difficulties involved in mobilising resources for large-scale housing and infrastructure projects.