Highway engineering and land use change in peri-urban Nairobi: Assessing inclusive development outcomes for host communities in the Northern Bypass corridor

Abstract

This article looks at the socio-environmental consequences of highway development on host communities in one of Nairobi’s peri-urban corridors. It is inspired by the fact that whereas governmental decision makers have supported highway development by arguing that such construction promotes economic growth and development, decreases traffic congestion, increases travel safety, assists in the more efficient use of existing roads, reduces poverty and improves the environment, this argument is usually pitched at the national or sub-national level thereby ignoring local community interests. Therefore, the study focused on the local socio-economic transformations that are taking place along the corridor as a result of the highway development. Such fundamental transformations occasioned by the road are often not captured in the pre-project impact evaluation documents. In this context, the study found that the construction of the road positively increased accessibility; however, improved accessibility led to land value increases and gentrification. Other effects of road development are land use change and loss of livelihoods, production of inequalities and densification. The study recommends incorporation of ex-post monitoring programs in project development to help mitigate the negative impacts on vulnerable members of the host communities who may suffer in the pursuit of the national development.