The relationship between places of employment, rents and residential locational choice of low income households in Kisumu municipality - Kenya

Abstract

The study sought to examine the outermost location of low income residential areas in Kisumu municipality (Kenya) with particular reference to the influence of rent and distance from place of work, to determine residential mobility among low income households and the relative influence of factors on residential locational choice. From secondary sources and pilot surveys, it was observed that land use patterns in Kisumu municipality does not conform to the majority of conventional urban land use models. Low income residential areas formed the external boundaries of the town. Six low income residential areas were identified, out of which four areas were randomly selected for the study, and the household population determined. Each of the four areas was divided into four geographical clusters, whereupon structured questionnaires were administered to a total of 325 heads of households in the months of February and March 1993. The data was entered into a computer and analyzed using Epi5. It was observed that distribution of the population within the low income areas showed a high proportion of particular district. It was established that ethnicity and kinship was the most important locational factor for the new urban migrants, with 64.1% having stayed with their relatives on first-arrival. The low income households considered room space suitability (33.7%), distance to work place (28.5%), affordability (19.7%), neatness, suitability of units for business purposes as important locational factors. Apart from kinship, the other factors were differentially considered in the four low income residential areas. The other "Pull" and "Push" factors were observed to be availability of market for goods and services offered by the urban low income households, peaceful neighbourhood, cleaner environment, good roads and availability of electricity. The importance of rent and distance from place of work as locational factors were underlined. The study further established a distinct relationship between area of residence and mobility (P Value = 0.0033) at alpha level of 0.05, and mobility and age (P Value = 0.0177) but that this mobility was not dependent on the sex of the head of the households. Younger people tended to move or change residence more than older people, with 84.3% of those who had moved, falling between the ages of 18-30 years. It emerged that there was a tendency for rent to increase with mobility in Nyalenda and Obunga (P Value = . 0.021). The tendency to reduce rent with mobility, as was observed in Manyatta and Kaloleni, was not statistically significant and it was shown that average rent levels was the same, and movement was horizontal. While 72.3% of low income households walk to their places, it was shown that more than 50% cover 6-12 km daily one way, with different residential areas having different mean distances covered. However, it was observed that although there was a tendency for mean distances to decrease, it was not statistically significant, Average distances before and after moving were equal. Of the factors which were ranked, rent,' income level, distance from work place and room size were ranked higher than the rest, respectively and even though security was not listed for ranking, it emerged as an important factor. The revelations of the study calls for a renewed effort to reduce rural-urban migration by making the rural areas more attractive for informal sector investment. Further, it calls for enactment and enforcement of by-laws which provide for minimum room sizes to be constructed by the private sector in the provision of houses for low income households.