Planning woes as Kajiado town turns into an eyesore

A section of Kitengela town in Kajiado county. [File, Standard] How to grow Kajiado town away from the business district is one of the headaches for the Kajiado county government as the municipality battles with the mushrooming of slums amid a surge in population. The county is seeking ways to avoid linear city type of development as it grapples with a lack of sewer system in the municipality. There is also a rise in the number of iron sheet houses, according to the Kajiado Municipality Integrated Development Plan 2023-2027, which are popular with college students and the working youth due to their affordability. This is even as the county notes a change in housing developments with the rise of apartments to cater for the working class. According to the plan published on November 11, 2024, the municipality is experiencing an influx of individuals from the rural areas. "Primarily, the surge in population owes itself to substantial immigration from rural areas and various regions across Kenya. This influx of people has transformed Kajiado into a cosmopolitan centre, hosting a diverse mix of tribes and cultures from around the country," reads the plan. The reasons for this migration include employment opportunities, avenues for entrepreneurial ventures, and the prospect of elevating their quality of life. "Consequently, Kajiado town, comprising the CBD, surrounding areas, and the administrative centre at Kwa DC has burgeoned into a bustling hub," adds the county government in the plan. While this growth reflects the municipality's ability to accommodate and integrate diverse cultures, creating a vibrant and dynamic community, the county notes it presents a new challenge of linear city development. A linear city is where development is concentrated on the highway or main roads, negating other parts of the town or area. Kajiado town is located along the Nairobi-Arusha highway. This makes it a key town connecting Kenya and Tanzania. The road serves a lot of tourism activities and long-distance truck drivers ferrying goods between the two countries. "The emergence of new developments along the highway in Kajiado town, specifically the concept of a linear city, presents challenges that necessitate careful control," says the county. It references growth in new developments around Umma and Naisula School, which are problematic due to difficulties in providing services and the associated high costs. "To address these issues, effective planning interventions and development control measures are crucial," the county says. Uncontrolled and unregulated spatial growth, inadequate and poor social and physical infrastructure, and encroachment on land meant for physical infrastructure are the development issues identified under urbanisation and human settlement. The high rapid rate of urbanisation, undefined boundaries, uncontrolled spatial growth, rapid land subdivision into uneconomic sizes, and unmanaged informal settlement are some of the causes of the problem. This is in addition to spillover of development challenges due to proximity to the capital city, Nairobi, weak enforcement of regulations and high population growth rate. According to the plan, inadequate water supply is the main development challenge, at 22 per cent, that residents face.This is followed by poor roads (17 per cent), poor waste management (15 per cent), poor drainage (13 per cent) and congested markets (11 per cent). Other issues raised are insecurity, poor fire and disaster management and strained educational facilities. Kajiado municipality is one of the four towns of Kajiado County. Others are Ngong, Ongata Rongai and Kitengela. The latter three are more developed due to their proximity to Nairobi City County, which has influenced housing developments in the areas and consequently social amenities. However, Kajiado town has somehow lagged. "In Kajiado Municipality, housing demand is comparatively lower than in neighbouring areas like Kitengela, Ngong, and Rongai. However, the town is experiencing changes in its housing landscape due to rapid urban growth," the plan states. It details that housing tenure in Kajiado is predominantly owner-occupied at 40.6 per cent, with 59.3 per cent of the households under rental tenure. Individuals are the primary providers of rental housing at 87.5 per cent followed by private companies (9.0 per cent) and the county government (1.4 per cent). For those who own homes, 92.3 per cent constructed the houses, while 4.4 per cent purchased the house and 3.2 per cent inherited their homes. This is according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS). "The increasing demand has led to a surge in the real estate sector, resulting in the gradual replacement of traditional single dwelling houses with multi-story flats," notes the plan, adding that the diverse housing options in the municipality include spacious apartments, bungalows, maisonettes, and single-room storey buildings catering to low-income earners. But despite these positive developments, the county says there are still pockets of poor-quality housing units constructed with corrugated iron sheets. This, it says, reflects the municipality's adaptation to urban growth while addressing a range of housing needs, from affordable options to more modern and spacious solutions. It adds that low-income housing in Kajiado Municipality is majorly located in Majengo Block A, B, and C. However, there are a variety of low-income houses spread across the municipality. The dominant features of this type of housing are single rooms, which accommodate students from Masai Technical Training Institute and Masai Institute of Professional Studies and a bigger youth percentage who work around the town.

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