Welcome to Kenya’s private city that could offer a glimpse of country’s urban future

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A privately owned development outside the Kenyan capital is attracting residents and businesses with its strict rules and modern infrastructure. Turn into Tatu City on the outskirts of Kenya's capital, Nairobi, and it feels like entering a different world. Digital content creator Valerie Akoko moved here two years ago. "I have never seen Tatu City dirty," she says. "The rules state that the estate should be cleaned as regularly as possible. I have been here two years, there has never been an accident in Tatu City…because there are rules." Situated on 5,000 acres, Tatu City aspires to be what its name suggests: a city, privately owned, that its designers hope will eventually have a population of 250,000. It already is home to 88 businesses that employ 15,000 people. In sub-Saharan Africa, champions of the idea hope that new-city developments can address the continent’s urbanization conundrum: While the growth of cities has rolled back poverty elsewhere, this region has largely been an exception. History suggests that as people move into cities, productivity increases, wages rise, exports grow, and a country gets richer. But in Africa, urbanization has not unleashed such economic transformation. Weak property rights and political tensions can make the problem worse. Still, the case for building new cities, complete with new infrastructure, seems compelling. The Charter Cities Institute, a Washington-based non-profit, argues that, done properly, such projects could drive growth, create jobs, and “lift tens of millions of people out of poverty.” The institute sees Tatu City as a model. Tatu may provide clues as to what makes a new city successful. Experts agree that the private sector must play a role in African urbanization, saying African states are too fiscally constrained to fill the investment gap themselves. Tatu City also appeals to businesses and residents with its transparent governance structure and services that are often lacking elsewhere in Kenya, including its own water supply and energy grid. It falls under national law but can set its own rules on matters like traffic and, crucially, what kind of houses can be built, with all plans requiring approval from Tatu’s management. This article was provided by The Associated Press.