The U.S. Government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation’s (MCC) Deputy Chief Executive Officer Chidi Blyden departed Nairobi February 16, following two-days of meetings with senior Kenyan government officials to finalize implementation preparations for a USD $60 million grant—the Kenya Urban Mobility and Growth Threshold Program.
Signed in September 2023, the program will tackle challenges that limit mobility in urban areas of Nairobi. The program will address pedestrian transportation needs, advance safer transportation options for women, and support financing for the acquisition of climate-friendly buses.
Blyden met with Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo at the National Treasury and Economic Planning to finalize the Kenya Millennium Development Fund regulations approval process. She also met with the Governor of Nairobi County, Johnson Sakaja, to understand how the Threshold program will support the long-term vision of Nairobi’s connectivity for greater growth.
Blyden and the MCC delegation gained insight into land use challenges and possible solutions during a roundtable with University of Nairobi professors and students. The team also visited gridlocked urban neighborhoods and a company that assembles electric buses.
The Kenya Urban Mobility and Growth Threshold Program is MCC’s largest and most ambitious threshold program to date.
“Helping residents in Nairobi safely navigate between their homes and work is critical for Kenya’s continued economic growth,” said Blyden. “I am grateful for our partners in the Government who are working to set up the Kenya Millennium Development Fund to implement this program and bring the benefits to the Kenyan people.”
The Millennium Challenge Corporation is an independent U.S. government development agency working to reduce global poverty through economic growth. Created in 2004, MCC provides time-limited grants that pair investments in infrastructure with policy and institutional reforms to countries that meet rigorous standards for good governance, fighting corruption and respecting democratic rights.
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