Table 4-15 - Markets, trade, and services soft initiatives

4.3.1 Soft Initiatives, Training and Capacity Building

B1 - Develop the unique selling points of Bungoma’s market towns

Each of Bungoma’s market towns serve a unique purpose and draw in footfall from different towns in the region. Build an understanding of the current offering, role, and attraction of these different market towns to provide a strong basis for planning the development of each of the market towns.

Bungoma’s market towns need a step improvement in their infrastructure provision. Local place-making, and infrastructure proposals for Bungoma Town have been highlighted in the Anchor projects in section 4.3.2 including:

> Bus drop-off points; > NMT links through Bungoma CBD; > Green open spaces; > Spaces designed for traders; and > Sanitation facilities and water access points.

The new infrastructure should follow principles of inclusive design to ensure easy access, safety, and use for everyone, and climate resilience to reduce disruption from extreme events. There are specific social inclusion and climate resilience recommendations for each infrastructure project in section 4.3.2.1.

Table 4-15 - Markets, trade, and services soft initiatives

Aim Action

Support polycentric growth through the development of Bungoma’s market towns B1 - Develop the unique selling points of Bungoma’s market towns

B2 - Integrate Bungoma’s hawkers and informal traders with nonpermanent structures in the plans for development of the town.

B3 - Better support for businesses and start-ups

Strengthening Bungoma’s Logistics offering and taking advantage of passing trade. B4 - Plan to engage and serve the passing trade from the logistics sector.

Gateway for trade to Uganda and central Africa B5 – Promote sustainable development at the Lwakhakha border point

Coordination across the hospitality and tourism sector. B6 - A strong advertising campaign that highlights the unique assets and amenities of Bungoma.

B2 - Integrate Bungoma’s hawkers and informal traders with non-permanent structures in the plans for development of the town.

Informal street vendors are a key stakeholder of Bungoma’s economy. Yet, local economic development plans rarely consider their livelihood security and often result in their economic displacement. Moreover, hawkers face several challenges while engaging in this activity. For example, in Bungoma they face increasing hostility and harassment in their search for public space access. They also face occupational health and safety risks due to sun exposure or heavy rains. Recommendations for their socio-territorial integration involve:

> Encourage membership-based organisations to strengthen their negotiation capacity; > Work with informal vendors’ and their associations to designate specific spaces for their commercial activity. This should be done in a participatory way; > Reserve stalls in existent markets for street vendors to use. Incorporate principles of universal design and provide adequate shading; > Integrate informal vendors in urban management; and > Build public toilets and well-illuminated shelter. Case Study - National Law of Street Vending (India)

The Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) and the National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) have been key stakeholders for the sanction of the National Law of Street Vending. This law regulates and protects street vendors and their livelihoods.

B3 - Better support for businesses and start-ups

Development of the service sector could include support to Bungoma’s entrepreneurs, start-ups, traders, and businesses.

The potential for growth of MSMEs is restricted by inadequate capital, limited market access, poor infrastructure, inadequate knowledge and skills, and rapid changes in technology.

Plans to support businesses and start-ups in Bungoma should look to facilitate:

> Access to knowledge; > Access to finance; > Access to markets; and > Knowledge networks.

One vehicle for facilitating this is cooperatives. Some of the potential training services to be provided by SME accelerators are highlighted in Kenya’s Agricultural Transformation and Growth Strategy. This activity should seek to include specific support to business to help adapt to climate change and manage business disruption from extreme events.

It is recommended to consider additional options that are accessible and affordable to SIGs, particularly to those that might not actively participate in cooperatives. An example of this is the Community-Based Entrepreneurship Development (C-BED) initiative from the International Labour Office (ILO). B4 - Plan to engage and serve the passing trade from the logistics sector.

Currently a few drivers will stop off overnight in Bungoma to rest, there is an opportunity to attract more overnight visitors from the logistics sector. Firstly, the Malaba, Busia and Lwakhakha border points are all lacking affordable parking facilities. Parking facilities along the A8 in Bungoma would incentivise drivers to stop and rest here. Section 4.3.3 presents the infrastructure proforma for an HGV parking area. The primary economic benefit from this intervention, however, would come through the creation of supporting businesses that would surround the facilities, these could include hotels, restaurants, bars, refuelling/repair facilities, shops and stalls.

Cooperation with the border points, EAC, TMEA and other key international organisation could also provide a queuing system and other services where truck drivers can wait in the parking facilities until they are called to the border.

The parking would need to be highly affordable or free to truly unlock this economic activity and to decongest the A8 road, and the CBD.

It is also key that local businesses have the opportunity to provide services and set up businesses in this space, as well as larger chain businesses. It is also likely that this intervention will attract informal traders, where it will receive high levels of footfall if successful. It should therefore provide space that would integrate these traders.

Development of this proposal (B4) and the following B5, should look to align with both the Northern Corridor Strategic Plan 2017-2021, and the Masterplan for logistics along the Northern Economic Corridor 2017.

B5 – Promote sustainable development at the Lwakhakha border point

The border point has been identified by national investors to be a high potential border point for trade activity between Uganda and Kenya, and an opportunity to relieve pressures on the Busia and Malaba border points. Given the planned development there is a need to introduce sustainable construction guidelines here which, accounting for the intrinsic value Lwakhakha’s communities and environmentally-sensitive assets in future design and planning, is not only crucial for long-term sustainable development, but it can also benefit Lwakhakha, its residents, and its stakeholders. These will help to protect Lwakhakha from rapid unplanned development, and benefit Lwakhakha’s current residents.

Border cities and their constant flow of people and trade can become a risky environment in terms of gender-based violence (GBV) and (sexual and labour-related) human trafficking. Potential mitigation measures include:

> Work with bordering local governments to improve cooperation and coordination; > Work in partnerships, for example, liaising with national governments, specialised international organisations (e.g. International Organisation for Migration, United

Nations Office on Drugs and Crime), and NGOs; > Apart from media campaigns, develop awareness sessions to sensitise communities and discourage demand.

These workshops/sessions could be held in community meetings, religious organizations, and schools; > As was done in Rwanda, train police officers to identify victims of human trafficking. Likewise, develop training targeted at the hospitality sector; and > Reduce vulnerability of potential victims by contributing to their socio-economic development (e.g. alleviating poverty, creating employment opportunities, tackling social exclusion). See the ISANGE ‘One Stop’ case study below. B6 - A strong advertising campaign that highlights the unique assets and amenities of Bungoma.

Bungoma is a diverse county where tradition still runs strong. There are a number of different communities and cultures that have influenced the character and economy of Bungoma. It is also viewed as the gateway to Mount Elgon, where it has a number of natural assets and heritage attractions.

Bungoma County is unspoilt by high flows of tourists and offers visitors the unique opportunity to have a genuine experience of western Kenya.

Bungoma’s tourism sector is in its infancy and there is a need to better understand the role that Bungoma plays in the western circuit’s tourism offering.

The proposed infrastructure in the CBD, alongside the above interventions in the other sub-sectors will also be key to enticing more visitors to Bungoma.

It is also important that development in this sector is Community-led, and provides local people with the opportunity to influence and become involved with developing their own communities. It brings about improvements in local, social, recreational, environmental, and historic amenities for locals and visitors alike, and it creates an environmentally-sensitive and locally-controlled tourism sector, which develops business and employment opportunities for local people, and keeps money within the local economy. One way this could be encouraged could be through a Bungoma Tourism board, gathering key stakeholders to provide a plural representation that accounts for various needs and expertise. The ultimate goal of the working group should be to develop a representative tourism offer for Bungoma, which provides socio-economic benefits for the local population, and ensures effective levels of cooperation in its delivery.

This includes development of initiatives and campaigns aimed at enhancing the marketing of Bungoma as a destination. Key parties could include the public sector (the Bungoma Department of tourism and the Bungoma Tourism Committee), the private sector (key hotels and services), community groups, and national level ministries and agencies such as the Kenya Tourism Fund and Kenya Airports Authority.

Case Study ISANGE ‘One Stop’ Centre (Rwanda)

Rwanda has developed an initiative to prevent and respond to gender-based violence (GBV) and violence against children. This initiative, called ‘feel welcome’ started in 2009 at Kacyru Police Hospital (Kigali) and it is part of a partnership between the Rwanda National Police Health Services and the United Nations in Rwanda, with support from UNIFEM (now UN Women), UNFPA and UNICEF. The centre provides 24/7 free services and support to people experiencing these types of violence. Currently, there are several points countrywide, and each one concentrates all services to support persons experiencing these types of violence in one place, allowing for better coordination between different government agencies tackling GBV and mitigating further risks (e.g. by reducing travelling times and providing emergency services such as offering medical and psychological support, testing for sexually transmitted diseases, etc.). In these centres, the survivor, whose confidentiality is always ensured, meets a social worker who aims at understanding the case, and offers care and/or referrals whenever needed. In recent years, Isange’s responsibilities have been expanded to give assistance to victims of human trafficking. To do so, Rwandan police officers are trained on how to handle these specific cases. Despite there being aspects of the initiative that could be improved, this model is considered an overall success story, and it has been studied and replicated in other countries and regions.

Source: 7273, Image74

72 John, G. (2019) Analyzing the strategies of prevention and control of human trafficking in Rwanda, Sociology International; 3(4): 304-309. 73 DARPG, Isange one stop centre model – Rwanda National Policy (RNP) (no date). Available at: https://www.darpg.gov.in/sites/default/files/Rwanda.pdf, (Accessed: 17/02/2022). 74 The New Times, Gender summit delegates visit Isange one Stop Centre (2019). Available at: https://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/gender-summitdelegates-visit-isange-one-stop-centre, (Accessed: 17/02/2022).

4.3.2 Anchor Projects

4.3.2.1  Anchor Project A: CBD market and bus station Project Overview

Economic development is a fundamental component for the SUED proposals. The vision for Bungoma’s urban development adopts a polycentric approach across its key urban nodes, these have been developed as mixed-use neighbourhoods that support and promote local economic activities. The rapidly growing Bungoma Town centre is the County’s largest node that operates as a hub for businesses, visitors, students and traders from across the region to access markets, education, services, and health facilities.

Despite a wide mix of building heights, the CBD is the densest area in the County. A robust gridiron network develops west from the C33 (the major north-south transport and access corridor). The bus station represents the central gateway to town, this, in turn, has influenced the type of uses and amount of activity around the CBD. Matatus and boda-bodas dominate and overwhelm the streets which are already occupied by informal traders. There is very limited greenery or open space to provide respite to the visitor, as such, the immediate visitor experience is marked by hard surfaces, congestion, a lack of safety, and a general sense of disorientation. The current CBD market and the adjacent bus park are both located in the heart of Bungoma CBD. The existing bus park, adjacent to the C33, has reached operational capacity, leading to vehicular spill-over onto adjacent roads and intersections, which interrupts traffic flow and exacerbates congestion.

Another potential site under consideration for a new bus station is to the north of the A104 in Kanduyi.

The existing CBD market is relatively rundown and would benefit from an overall upgrade, including increased capacity. Along with these developments, there is a marked lack of quality public realm and open space.

There is a strong case to develop an integrated proposal that addresses functional and operational issues as well as urban quality and the user experience in this central hive of activities. These proposals are part of an integrated spatial strategy across the Town centre, in particular the CBD area acting as one of the nodes elevated as a high quality urban destination along the north-south axis between Musikoma and Kanduyi. The other important node is the airpstrip site, 15 minutes’ walk further north of the CBD.

The CBD would benefit from two catalysing proposals:

> CBD market block transformation and > Upgrade and repurposing of the existing bus park by the C33 (See fig Figure 4-17)