There’s a clean and well paved pedestrian walkway running parallel to the main traffic carriageway. The bus stops next to Transcom House are decent, well sheltered from the rain and even have seating provision for waiting passengers. As I walked on, I counted two shoe shiner booths. Along the way, there were some few water points too. The walk turned out quite short, what with all these realities sinking in. In fact, if this were the infrastructure to be found all around the city, even the shoe shine booths would become extinct. Life would be pleasant! I often recall that for close to two years when I marked time in London, I never needed to shine my shoes.

You don’t go marking roads and building pavements with red or black mud like we do in most parts here, yet claim to be urbanised. So the City Hall and our roads authorities must take praise for this slow transformation where pedestrian welfare is taken care of. I have noticed that the revamp of our City roads has been incrementally providing pedestrian walkways.

It’s so refreshing walking uninterrupted, traffic-free! Future designs should begin to integrate paths for our ever increasing bicycle and motorcycle traffic.

This brings me to concerns about our urbanisation. Have you ever noticed that the aesthetics of our urban areas seem to degenerate as they grow? A few examples. Kikuyu town, once the place to be is now overcrowded and ugly. Athi River? I recently tried to drive off Namanga Road towards the animal training school in the interior. It’s weather beaten and pot-holed.

One dreads the drive. And Ngurubani where we’ve been stopping over to buy rice on our way to Nairobi? It’s today overcrowded and dusty. Major unplanned buildings have come up. Naivasha? It’s earlier open and cool feel is fast disappearing. The buildings dotting the highway between Kinungi and the turn off into town portend a very bad future for Naivasha. It’s drifting towards a slum town.

Overcrowding, poor planning and outright lack of enforcement standards has also seen Kiambu, Limuru, Ngong, Kitengela and Ongata Rongai on the outskirts of Nairobi quickly decline. Traffic jams aren’t uncommon in these fairly small towns.

Nairobi City suburbs aren’t doing any better. Look at Mathare North, Eastleigh, Buru Buru, Umoja and Donholm shopping centres. South C and South B too. High rise buildings, home to high numbers of people, and traffic are on the increase in these places without commensurate increase in facilities like open spaces, greeneries and social facilities.

Even a supply of fresh air for residents is no longer assured. And vendors are planting inappropriate kiosks everywhere, even in front of beautiful residential houses and businesses. Think 50 years ahead! What will these places be like? Congested, unhealthy and inhabitable! If we don’t give very careful thought to urban planning and enforce standards, urban life will become painful.

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