[email protected] Thursday, JULY 20, 2017 The Standard Home & AwayHome & Away 35

In Brief Spotlight

Shela in Lamu. The spatial plan was developed with stakeholders like the WWF. [Wilberforce Okwiri, Standard] retail. Britam to build Sh12 billion mall in Kileleshwa

Britam Holdings has an- nounced that it will construct a Sh12 billion mall in Nairobi’s Kileleshwa. While making the announcement to the sharehold- ers, the rm’s Chief Executive Oicer Benson Wairegi hinted that the company will now be pursuing property management and development more aggressively than before, with the establish- ment of their real estate subsidi- ary, Britam Properties Limited. According to the rm, the 140,000 square feet shopping mall will help address the rising need for quality retail space which is Lamu plans said to be lacking and is the reason why a lot of retail space in malls is empty. The development will be mixed-use and will include oices, serviced apartments and a hotel. new direction [David Mwitari]

yBFerdinand Mwongela near total exclusion of the rest of the [email protected] county. This is something that the Cement. Bamburi’s recently launched Spatial Sh4b plant capacity What comes to mind when you hear Plan seeks to change. of Lamu? Today, many would say inse- The county prides itself as among the Raw Sewage lows into the ocean on Lamu Island. [Wilberforce Okwiri, Standard] expansion project curity with the number of attacks by Al irst to complete what is a mandatory Bamburi Cement’s capacity Shabaab in the area in mind. requirement for all county govern- investment and heritage town. form a threat to water resources in the expansion project at its Athi-River Before the insecurity tag reared its ments. Lamu County Executive Com- Stakeholders have faith that the plan area with farmers upstream of the lake cement grinding plant is moving head though, Lamu was better known mittee member for land, physical plan- will change a lot. “The plan recognises encroaching on water ways and the silt forward and is poised to begin as a heritage site. For those who have ning, infrastructure, urban develop- that lamu is water scarce county and lowing downstream illing up the lake. major construction starting next been to Lamu town, the narrow streets ment, water and natural resources sets out the protection of water catch- month. The grinding plant and ubiquitous donkeys, would no Amina Masoud is upbeat that the com- ment areas and sources like Shela sand capacity expansion project doubt get a mention. pletion of the process is a step in the dunes on the Lamu Island that are commenced in January this year The fame of Lamu Island has for right direction. “There is a lot to be under threat from human activity,” says 10km and is set to inject additional along time drawn more attention and done in Lamu. We want to bring sense Vincent Osewe, a County Physical Plan-  Length of tarmacked road in Lamu production capacity of 900,000 fame than the rest of the sprawling into the land use management in the ner in Lamu. He says the plan acknowl- metric tonnes per year, with the county that borders Kilii and Garissa county,” she says. edges unique resources of Lamu and overall annual combined total counties, Somalia and the Indian Ocean. The spatial plan, developed with how they are protected and developed. “At one time, the lake’s deepest part capacity of Bamburi cement’s One of the reasons for this was dis- stakeholders like the World Wide Fund Masoud points out that Lamu hosts was four metres, this is now less that a two plants in Athi River and Mom- proportionate focus on the island and for Nature (WWF) presents a guideline key elements of the Lapsset projects one metre. There is a lot of siltation,” basa increasing to 3.2 million to the development of the county. Lamu and would therefore beneit more by says Pius Kimani Mutie, a farmer metric tonnes. The project, which has less than ten kilometers of tar- being ready for the attention to come. Mpeketoni and the assistant secretary is scheduled to be commissioned macked road. It is this lack of infrastruc- It is this attention and challenges like of Lake Kenyatta Water Association. by mid next year, will see Bamburi ture that also exacerbates the problem conservation that make this plan time- Mutie blames the sad situation on the Cement install a Vertical Cement of insecurity. ly. Take the question of Lake Kenyatta culture of ‘witemere’ upstream. This is Mill, becoming the rst cement The all weather road that connects in Mpeketoni for instance. where people move into unallocated maker in the country to use this the county to her neighbours in the The land around here is possibly one land and carve out portions for agricul- technology in cement manufac- south is today a highway of fear. Stalked of the biggest sources of watermelon, tural activity. turing. This is the rst phase of by terrorists and bad conditions. consumed as far as Nairobi. However, “Lamu is rich in natural resources. Bamburi’s capacity expansion When we drove from Lamu to Mpeke- the enthusiasm for this and other crops We need to conserve these resources,” plan, underscoring the company’s toni, further south, the sense of caution says Masoud. commitment to continued is palpable. The spatial plan recognises The spatial plan was launched last operation and investment in the the need to develop infrastructure in a “We want to bring sense week after having gone through an country. Bruno Pescheux, bid to improve connectivity. into land use management extensive public engagemnet and coun- Managing Director of Bamburi The spatial plan gives a framework of ty assembly approval. Masoud explains Cement said the move is guided planning town and villages, allocating in the county,” Amina Masoud, that it was important to push through by the projected growth in the functions to towns. is the Lamu CEC for land, physical planning, the approval before elections, adding infrastructure, urban development, Kenya construction industry in Lamu town is set as a heritage and headquarters, Witu (gate town), Kiunga that after elections, the focus will shift water and natural resources the next decade and beyond. investment centre. (ishing and trade town) and Lamu the to implementation. [James wanzala]