DRIVERS AND EFFECTS OF URBAN SPATIALIZATION IN KENYA: THE CASE OF KAPSABET TOWN IN NANDI COUNTY

Abstract

Urban areas are rapidly growing. Therefore, information on the actual extent of urban expansion, drivers and consequences of such are urgently needed for proper planning. The goal of this study was to assess Kapsabet Town's geographical growth, as well as its primary causes and implications. A survey research design was used in this study. Specifically, the study relied on geospatial mapping to determine the changes experienced by the town between 1975 and 2020. Questionnaires and scheduled interviews were conducted among 398 respondents drawn from the local area and County Government officials through simple random sampling. The findings show that land conversion into urban land uses was the primary course of change in Kapsabet. Built up areas in 1975 occupied 16.74 ha (22.4%) and expanded to 38.07 hectares (ha) (26.3%) in 1991, 148.77 ha (28.30%) in 2006 and 348.13 ha (35.6%) in 2020 An estimated 20.16 hectares (36.5%) of forest land were expected to be present in 1975. By 2006, just 26.8% of the total urban area was made up of forest land. In 1975, there were 11.97 hectares of tea plantations; by 1991, there were 38.75 hectares (28.8%) of plantations. However, between 1975 and 2020, the amount of farmland decreased significantly. The key drivers of spatial urban expansion of Kapsabet Town were conversion of agricultural land to other uses (80.22%) followed by development of commercial buildings (68.32% and residential buildings (53.01%) while a few proportions of respondents indicated policy framework (12.00%) and growth of academic institutions (11.05%). Further analysis indicates an increase in production of food items such as milk, meat, fruits, vegetables and maize due to the urban expansion by 1.5% every year. The net effect of increased food production is improved food security in the region. Increased employment opportunities, increased trade, enhanced feeder roads in the region thus improving transport were also reported at a rate of 0.7% per year. Nonetheless, people of the local community lamented the loss of forest cover as a result of the region's agricultural growth and therefore the region is likely to suffer most from the vagaries associated with forest cover such as climate change, which were nevertheless not indicated to be serious concern by the local community members. Key environmental impacts of urban expansion were notably solid waste disposal, about 60% of homes in Kapsabet inappropriately dispose of waste and the town doesn’t have a proper designated dumping site. For majority of the respondents, the consequences of urban spatial expansion were increased crime rates including prostitution. The study recommends for the need, to regulate the pace and scope of urban spatial expansion in order to secure the preservation of agricultural land and overall environmental sustainability