First Local Design Workshop for WAL: Sponge City Nakuru
Kick-off of the Nature as Leverage program
Last week, Felixx joined forces with our partners—Witteveen+Bos, Bantu, and TU Delft—for the first local design workshop in Kenya under the Water as Leverage: Sponge City Nakuru program.
Nakuru is a vibrant, fast-growing city, surrounded by iconic landscapes—the Lake Nakuru, the Menengai Crater, and a rich agricultural mosaic. But beyond its natural beauty, Nakuru is home to communities with a clear ambition: harnessing the power of water and nature to build a resilient and thriving future.
The week began with field visits to seven key hotspots—each revealing a different facet of Nakuru’s relationship with water. From the agricultural lands of Kimunyi to the riverbank communities of Njoro and Ngosur, the dynamic city center, the slopes of Menengai, the globally renowned Lake Nakuru National Park, and the expanding districts of Lanet/Pipeline.
On February 12–13, more than 80 participants—including local stakeholders, RVO, UN-Habitat, VEI, the Embassy of the Netherlands, and the Nakuru County Government—came together to shape a shared vision for Nakuru’s water future. The workshop introduced the Nature Kama Kujiinua (Nature as Leverage) framework, fostering collaboration on Nakuru’s water challenges. TU Delft students showcased innovative designs, linking global Water as Leverage principles with local ambitions. A co-design session culminated in strategies for seven key hotspots, unlocking solutions for a resilient, water-secure future.
Over the next two years, Felixx will continue working alongside Nakuru’s communities and stakeholders, co-creating solutions that showcase how water—when managed wisely—can drive urban resilience, economic prosperity, and ecological restoration.
The journey has just begun, and we’re excited to keep learning, collaborating, and designing a water-secure future for Nakuru!
Images by VEI Kenya, Cynthia van Eik and Felixx
