Kenya must not lag behind on infrastructure

I once heard a certain urban planner say many of Kenya’s small towns (and most of African countries) are designed by truck drivers. It initially did not make sense but every time I travel upcountry, I fully appreciate the statement.

If for instance a couple of truck drivers decide Kikopey (on your way to Nakuru) has the most delectable meat, word will spread and they will start stopping there en masse. Before long, more eateries come up, someone else opens a bar and cheap lodgings and voila, a new town comes into being.

This new town grows without a plan, with temporary structures that are an eyesore, no garbage collection, not even a place to park the trucks that inevitably end up choking the main road. Kikopey for instance has a perpetual jam. The only thing the government in its wisdom usually does is introduce ugly bumps along such stretches which makes a bad situation worse.

Ideally, in planned towns and cities, a master plan dictates how essential services such as water, sewer and electricity should be sourced. The planners factor even project population increase in their long term plans. Not for Kikopey and its likes.

These hamlets designed by truck drivers usually have absolutely no idea where resources to support its organic growth will come from while the local and central governments extort revenue.

In early days, colonialists designed towns to the minuscule detail, in such a way that they would be well served by road and rail. A town’s expansion was built in in the long term plans. Kisumu for instance was a railway town that has since metamorphosized into a vibrant city on its own right. Nakuru was designed as an agricultural town while the railway to Nanyuki was meant mainly to cater for livestock farmers. These cities have since become proper metropolis.

Nairobi unfortunately came into being by accident. Because of the railway ascent to Limuru and the logistical challenges engineers faced, they set up camp in Nairobi in readiness for this challenge. Somehow, the swamp that Nairobi was (and still is) became popular with colonialists and the rest is history.

Because of the popularity of air travel, nowadays we are seeing entire cities – referred to as aeropolis – coming up around airports. As railways were the driver of development and led to new towns and cities, airports are the ‘new railway’ as it were.

Rwanda for instance is building a mega airport planned in such a way that a new mini city is expected – and planned for –  around it since Kigali has reached its limit in terms of space for expansion. Built 40km from the city, the new US$2 billion is expected to handle 8 million passengers yearly, up from current one million at the existing airport. Qatar Airways owns 60 per cent of the airport.

The new airport is expected to give Kenya and Ethiopia a run for their money. Today, JKIA handles slightly over 7 million passengers while Bore Addis Ababa Airport is almost hitting its limit of 25 million passengers.

If JKIA was to be expanded according to a carefully thought-out masterplan, we would lay claim as the preferred regional travel hub. A vibrant micro city would come up within and around it. Johannesburg for instance has major industrial areas cropping up around the airport, especially for handling air cargo. It has numerous business hotels, high end real estates and other service sectors. We can’t afford to lag behind.

And of course, the more modern and capacious an airport is, the higher the income generated from travellers jetting in and out. For every ticket bought, the government gets income.

The point is, key infrastructure such as roads, railways and air transport underpins a country’s development. It is the driver for well-being of a people. We must invest in infrastructure but within prudent guidelines and long-term vision that ties in with our development agenda.

-The writer is a communications consultant and journalist