Trilateral Partnership: Nairobi, Kenya – Denver, U.S. – Kunming, China

Project: Madaraka Primary School

The Nairobi-Denver-Kunming trilateral partnership will focus on a primary education water and sanitation project. In Nairobi, the trilateral partnership will renovate water piping, repair water flow to toilets and sinks, and perform comprehensive water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) training to the Madaraka Primary School. In addition, the trilateral partnership aims to incorporate sustainability components in the school including a garden renovation, rainwater harvesting system, and composting micro-enterprise program. The project will also include a mayor and professional water and sanitation training exchange between all cities, and a municipal and business delegation exchange. 

Click here to see a PowerPoint presentation by Denver Sister Cities International.

Nairobi Exchange: April 21-26, 2013

Delegates from Denver and Kunming traveled to Nairobi, Kenya to meet with their trilateral partners for a five-day exchange. The purpose of the exchange was to meet with Nairobi City Council, the headmistress of Madaraka Primary School, and Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company to discuss the Madaraka Primary School renovation project and hold a water expert exchange.

Visitors and representatives included delegates and water experts from Denver and Kunming and delegates from Nairobi:  

Denver delegates: Councilman Albus Brooks; Chy Montoya, Aide to Councilman Albus Brooks; Tahverlee Dunlop, Executive Director of Denver Sister Cities International; Brian Powers, Co-Chair of Denver-Kunming Sister Cities Committee; Peter Kraft Jr., Water Planner, Denver Water; Reza Kazemian, Director of Operations, Public Works Wastewater Management Division, City of Denver; Derek Okubo, Director for the Agency for Human Rights & Community Partnerships for the City and County of Denver; and Barclay Jones, University of Colorado, Boulder.

Kunming delegates: Mr. WU Hui, Dean and Chief Engineer, The Design Academy of Water Supply Engineering Co. Ltd; Mr. ZHOU Junjie, Expert of Drinking Water Treatment, Kunming CGE Water Supply Co., Ltd; and Mr. ZHOU Xiaoyun, President, Kunming Continental Cultural Medial Corporation.

Nairobi delegates: Mr. Alex Ole Magelo, Speaker of the Nairobi City County; Mr. Andrew Mwanthi, Nairobi Department of Education; and Mr. Evans Kidero, Nairobi County Governor.

Prior to Nairobi Exchange:

The Madaraka Primary School Project inception workshop was held in March 2013, organized by Maji na Ufanisi, in consultation with the school headmistress, the Education Department of City Council, and the Ministry of Public Health. The workshop brought together teachers, support staff, the School Management Committees, and thirty students with the purpose of discussing the school WASH project and the roles of each stakeholder. The WASH project and the work at Madaraka Primary School are currently under the responsibility of the Nairobi Department of Education.

Highlights of the Nairobi exchange:

• Water experts—Reza Kazemian, Peter Kraft, Brian Powers, WU Hui, and ZHOU Junjie—met with Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company to visit different sites.
• Denver and Kunming delegates and water experts visited and toured Madaraka Primary School.
• Denver and Kunming delegates met with Nairobi City Council, to further cultivate relationships that will ensure the long term success and sustainability of the project.
• The water experts assessed the water needs of Madaraka School and came to a number of conclusions about the water supply, water distribution, storage capacity, and water quality.

Upcoming Events

Sister city partners from Nairobi, Denver, and Kunming are currently planning an exchange in Kunming this coming September. They will discuss economic development, business interests, education, health, as well as the next steps for the Madaraka Primary School project.