Through the Sanara Program, Nairobi City County Government, working closely with The GoDown Arts Centre, is developing a Culture and Arts Policy for Nairobi. Over the last few years, The GoDown has supported the county’s engagement with the Culture and Creative Industries (CCIs) through strategic planning, cultural data collection, stakeholder engagement and policy formulation. 

The process has brought together Nairobi County leadership, state and non-state actors, members of the public, creative practitioners and cultural stakeholders in the development of a draft Culture & Arts Policy for Nairobi. Through consultations, stakeholder engagements and public participation processes, the partnership continues to work towards ensuring that the policy reflects the realities, needs and aspirations of Nairobi’s diverse creative communities. 

As part of the process, Nairobi County culture and tourism officers underwent capacity-building on policy review, stakeholder engagement and methods of documenting public feedback, preparing them to lead consultations on the draft policy. This was followed by an extensive internal review involving county representatives from different departments and sectors. 

The next phase of the policy development process will focus on consultations with additional county departments and stakeholders, the development of an implementation matrix, and the alignment of the draft policy with county policy templates and legal requirements. Public participation and wider dissemination efforts will continue alongside ongoing legal and institutional review processes leading towards the draft policy’s submission to the Nairobi County Assembly for consideration as a sessional paper — a step towards institutional adoption and implementation within Nairobi County.

The Nairobi City County Culture and Arts Department also plans to present the policy development process as a case study to the Council of Governors to encourage buy-in and the adoption of similar frameworks across other counties in Kenya.