The Country is currently engaged in deliberations for undertaking a huge construction project that will have far-reaching impact on many aspects of the social, spatial, economic, environmental, and political consequences both now and in future. As we read about cost issues as well as the operational and political repercussions of the same, and what this project has to do to serve the economy, Planners have to ask and confront some fundamental questions:

In recent years Nairobi has seen the massive growth of mammoth high-rise developments in the name of apartments. They have attracted some research by Marie Hzermeyer and Baraka Mwau among others. They come up in many shades - but typically they are dense and feature small rooms. From one perspective they are viewed as the answer to the housing shortage and alternative to slums. On the other hand they are seen as accidents waiting to happen. Many of them have poor infrastructure and are poorly designed. Their social impact is least studied.

Global technology giants’ top executives are increasingly trooping into the country as they turn Nairobi into a launch pad of their African commercial strategies.

Ten year ago the city of Kisumu was on a serious restructure mode, various plans had been lined up implementation.