Urban Land Use Challenges in New Administrative Towns in Kenya;
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URBAN LAND USE CHALLENGES IN NEW ADMINISTRATIVE TOWNS IN KENYA; A CASE STUDY OF KENOL TOWN, MURANG’A SOUTH DISTRICT BY WAMUCHIRU K. ELIZABETH B65/0384/05 A PLANNING RESEARCH PROJECT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT FOR A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN URBAN AND REGIONAL PLANNING, UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI. MARCH 2009 ii DECLARATION I declare that this Planning Research Project is my original work and that to the best of my knowledge it has never been presented for award of a degree in any other University. Signed ------------------------------------------------------------------- WAMUCHIRU K. ELIZABETH (CANDIDATE) This Planning Research Project has been submitted for examination with my approval as University supervisor. Signed ---------------------------------------------------------------------- DR. ISAAC K. MWANGI (SUPERVISOR) This Planning Research Project has been submitted for examination with my approval as University supervisor. Signed ----------------------------------------------------------------------- C.D.KARISA (SUPERVISOR) iii DEDICATION To Mum and Dad, for bringing me up responsibly and teaching me to be true iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost I thank the Almighty God for the gift of life, knowledge and good health throughout my study. For without God, I could not be breathing to carry out the research and write this research paper. Secondly, my sincere gratitude goes to my dear parents and family, for there is no one that would compare your love, devotion and determination to make sure that I succeed in my study. Your financial sacrifice is greatly appreciated and I pray that God bless you abundantly! Special thanks to my brother Sam and sisters Shiro, Mary and Shiko for believing in me which in turn made me to believe in myself and gain confidence in my work. I would wish to appreciate my supervisors Dr. Isaac K. Mwangi and C.D. Karisa for their constructive critism to my work and continuous guidance during the entire period of study, which greatly directed me to achieve my research objectives. I will always be indebted to you, for the time dedicated to my study. My heartfelt gratitude goes to my very special friends, Dennis, Titus, Njoroge, Peninah, Salome, Zilpha and Steve. You have always been there for me during my research and you truly are friends indeed for your encouraging words and unfailing support to ensure my success. Particular thanks to Maina J.M for being very supportive in my entire study, no amount of words would measure my appreciation for the love and strength you have given me throughout my study. I would also like to acknowledge the inputs of the Makuyu Town Council officials especially Mr. Mburu for assisting me with relevant information regarding my study area. Finally, I owe my gratitude to all the staff and students of Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Nairobi and especially my classmates for their support and cooperation during my years of study. God bless you all! v ABSTRACT Urban land use practice in Kenya has failed to influence land development patterns in the rapidly growing small urban centres. Kenya’s experience reveals the lack of adequate official government interventions and established procedures in formulating decision making rules for the allocation of land, the control, approval and regulation of urban development. Evidence in Kenya shows the inability of physical planning to hinder the occurrence of the problems associated with contemporary land use planning in these towns. This research project provides an analysis of the main land use planning problems facing Kenol town as a small district administrative town in Kenya. Urban land development is supposed to take place in accordance to some established policies and guided by a physical development plan. This study focuses on the various land uses found in Kenol town and the planning challenges facing them. As the study will reveal, most of the physical developments in Kenol town have been taking place without a plan and guidance from the physical planners. The capacity of the physical planning institutions in controlling the development has had its influence on the land use problems in the town. The major problems in Kenol town arising from the lack of a spatial land framework is the haphazard mixed developments, inadequate public land for development of public utilities and poor infrastructural facilities. A comprehensive field survey was conducted to gather information which was analyzed to come up with the key study findings outlined in chapter five. Finally, the study makes recommendations for the way forward in tackling the problems of land use planning as in Kenol town. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................................... v TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... x LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... x LIST OF PLATES .......................................................................................................... xi LIST OF ACRONYMS ........................................................................................................ xii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 1 1.0 Overview .................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Research Problem Statement .................................................................................... 2 1.2 Goals and Objectives ................................................................................................. 3 1.3 Justifications of the Study ......................................................................................... 3 1.4 Scope and Limitations of Study ................................................................................. 4 1.5 Organization of the Study ......................................................................................... 4 1.6 Operational Terms..................................................................................................... 4 CHAPTER TWO: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ............................................................ 6 2.0 Overview .................................................................................................................... 6 2.1 Nature of Data Needs ................................................................................................. 6 2.1.1. Primary Data Needs.............................................................................................. 6 2.1.2 Secondary Data Needs ........................................................................................... 6 2.2 Types of Data ............................................................................................................. 6 2.2.1 Spatial Data ........................................................................................................... 6 2.2.2 Social Data ............................................................................................................ 7 2.2.3 Economic Data ...................................................................................................... 7 2.2.4 Environmental Data ............................................................................................... 7 vii 2.2.5 Cultural Data ......................................................................................................... 7 2.3 Literature Review ...................................................................................................... 7 2.4 Collection of Data ...................................................................................................... 8 2.4.1 Preparation of Research Instruments ...................................................................... 8 2.5 Field Survey/Site Visit ............................................................................................. 10 2.6 Data Analysis ........................................................................................................... 10 2.6.1 Coding and Data Entry ........................................................................................ 10 2.6.2 Qualitative Data Analysis .................................................................................... 10 2.6.3 Quantitative Data Analysis .................................................................................. 11 2.7 Data Presentation .................................................................................................... 11 CHAPTER THREE: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................... 14 3.0 Overview .................................................................................................................. 14 3.1Urbanization ............................................................................................................. 14 3.2 Urban Land Use Planning ....................................................................................... 16 3.3 Cases of Moving and Siting of New Capitals .......................................................... 30 3.4 Decentralization ......................................................................................................