Institutional Challenges for Sustainable Management of Urban Areas in Kenya: a Case Study of Kajiado County

Abstract

Given the increased rate of urbanization and the consequent social disorder and high levels of pollution in different cities and urban areas across the world, the concept of sustainable urban management has been touted by urban management scholars and practitioners as the most effective approach to managing cities and urban areas around the world, especially those in the developing world. However, the effective and successful application of this urban management approach in developing countries such as Kenya has faced and continue to face a number of challenges, most of which are often reported as institutional in nature. Therefore, given the fact that the phenomenon of rapid urbanization in developing countries is expected to continue, and considering the importance of cities and urban areas as engines of economic, social, and environomental growth and development of the developing countries, this study, while taking Kajiado County as a case study, sought to assess the institutional challenges facing the sustainable management of urban areas in Kenya, with an ultimate goal of proposing a roadmap for the sustainable management of urban areas in the County and beyond. In order to collect the necessary qualitative and quantitative data for answering the research questions, the study adopted a mixed methods research methodology, which involved the use of researcheradministered questionnaires, semi-structured interview schedules, observation check list, and photography, as data collection tools. The qualitative and quantitative data collected from the five selected major towns in the County was analysed quantitatively and qualitatively using SPSS and content analysis respectively. The findings of the study revealed that a number of actors from the public and private sectors as well as the local communities are currently involved in the urban management processes in the selected towns. With regard to challenges, the study found that sustainable management of towns in the County is currently faced with a range of institutional challenges, which have affected the governance, organizational, legal, and administrative frameworks of the local institution of urban management. Such challenges include ineffective legal and policy framework, inadequate financial resources, inadequate human technical capacity, inadequate human resource, lack of political goodwill, ineffective organizational structure, poor governance structure, corruption and wastage of resources, as well as nepotism and favouritism. In order to effectively and sustainably address the identified institutional challenges, the study makes a number of recommendations for action, including inter alia, development of public-private partnerships for service delivery in the urban areas within the town, establishment of citizen fora to enhance residents’ participation in urban management processes, decentralization of urban management functions to lower levels of the service chain, expansion of the County’s revenue base and prudent use of available scarce financial resources, enhancement of transparency and accountability in urban governance, as well as embracing technology for urban management