Transportation as a medium for spatial interaction: a case study of Kenya's Railway

Abstract

This study is undertaken on a broad national scale and attempts to provide an insight into the relationship between railway transport and spatial integration. The overall objective of the study is to analyse the significance of railway transport in Kenya from a spatial perspective. It seeks to identify guidelines and measures upon which an institutionalised, comprehensive and long-lasting national transport policy may be formulated and effectively implemented. Chapter one focuses attention on the conceptual basis of the study. A dynamic conceptual model comprising an open system that is responsive to changing social, economic, political, environmental and technological conditions is envisaged. The conceptualised system is assumed to be self-adjusting and cont.inuou sly arrives at new equilibrium levels after a change in any of its components. Achieved equilibria represent the degree of progress towards the attainment of some desired level of national integration. The second chapter discusses the conditions under which railway services are rendered in Kenya. The railway is identified as the oldest contemporary national mode of transportation in Kenya. It begun to experience competition in the 1930s when the construction of a national road network became noticeable while railway expansion was halted. It is concluded that colonial interests dominated the early days of railway transport in Kenya while geographical inertia, economic and political considerations now seem to have an upper hand in determining the availability and quality of railway services. Chapter three outlines the methodology used to gather information, analyse data and interpret the results. Absolute and surrogate variables are analysed. Multiple regression and correlation

analyses form the basis of all data analyses. F and t tests are used to test the significance of obtained statistical results. Statistical outputs are related to theoretical expectations and field observations. The fourth chapter attempts to establish the relationship between spatial interaction and railway transport in Kenya. It is suggested that Kenya's economy is strongly polarised along the railway network which outlines a national transport corridor designed during the colonial period. Geographical inertia is seen to be the main cause of the observed spatial polarisation of Kenya's economy. Chapter five discusses the relationship between regional development and railway transport in Kenya. A strong spatial relationship has been found to exist between the location of major economic activities and the railway network. Most of the observed polarisation is either attributed to historical accidents or geographical inertia. The railway formed the initial development stimulus that resulted in the concentration of economic activities in certain parts of the country and initiated a geographical inertia that has strongly polarised Kenya's space economy. The railway network was designed to render external transport services and does not significantly affect most of the land through which it passes, especially wayside stations. Chapter six examines the relationship between road and railway transport services. Kenya's railway network predates her road network. Roads were initially developed to complement the railway by rendering feeder and local distribution services. The extensive spread of roads, the ease with which they are constructed and up graded, and the numerical superiority of motor vehicles have given road transporters a competitive edge over the static railway network. The expansion of road transport has resulted in the inevitable conflict of interests between road and railway transport.