Kisii County government has been advised to collaborate with other transport stakeholders to develop and implement policies that support walking infrastructure in Kisii town.
According to a recent study report on Governance Processes in Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning in Kenya: Making and Implementing Decisions for Walking in Kisii by Kisii Municipality, Multimedia University, and The University of Nairobi, walking is a primary mode of transport in Kisii town.
The report shows that walkways and public spaces provided in the Central Business District (CBD) have become parking spaces for cars and motorcycles since most streets lack any physical definition of spaces for parking.
“Footpaths are present but most of them are encroached upon by either daytime vendors, owners of adjacent shops who display goods on footpaths, or private vehicles and motorcycles which use them as parking spaces,” reads part of the report.
Further, the report notes that the existing street lights in many areas are not working and pose a security threat to people walking at night adding that well-planned and effective street lighting can improve security, resulting in more opportunities for work and study.
Speaking during the release of the report at Kisii Agriculture Training Center (ATC), Multimedia University Researcher Dr. Gladys Nyachieo said the county government should work with stakeholders such as the Kenya National Highway Authority (KENHA) and the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) to merge major streets into navigable streets network as per the urban street design manual.
Dr. Nyachieo pointed out the need for an integrated transport system that provides well-planned footpaths without compromising pedestrian mobility and sustainable street lighting in all walking infrastructure to improve safety and walkability, especially at night.
“The municipality should adopt a zero-tolerance approach to encroachments that block Non-Motorized Transport (NMT) facilities and use bollards to prevent vehicles from encroaching on NMT walkways,” she said.
The Researcher recommended that construction projects outline plans to ensure uninterrupted NMT movements during the implementation phase, as part of their building approval process, to avoid compromising the existing NMT infrastructure.
The County Executive Committee (CEC) Member for Lands, Physical Planning, Housing and Urban Development, Grace Nyarango said the county had constructed several walkways along the Nyanchwa Link road, Mashauri – Kisii University road, the County offices – Stadium Road, the Rangi Mbili – Huduma Center – Naivas road and the Posta – Zonic – Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital – Mediforte Hospital among others.
Nyarango urged the residents to start walkway programs to increase physical activity, adding that physically active citizens are at a lower risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
In addition, the CEC noted the county government has prioritized improving road infrastructure within the Kisii and Ogembo Municipalities and across all 45 wards.
Kisii Governor Simba Arati, through the Department of Roads, is constructing all-weather roads in all the nine sub-counties as well as constructing several footbridges as part of his pledges to improve the road network and spur social economic development in the county.
According to the county’s Integrated Strategic Urban Development Plan (2023), Kisii CBD experiences heavy pedestrian traffic being that it is a major business hub in the Nyanza region of Kenya and attracts about half a million people into the CBD daily.
By Mercy Osongo
