| dc.description.abstract | The global development agenda has placed the sustainability of cities as a critical
agenda focusing on the development of safe, resilient and sustainable cities. The
frequency of flooding in cities and the collapse of buildings in Kenyan urban areas
has raised policy concern on the importance of wetland riparian buffer zone
protection. Wetland riparian buffer zones, though defined as public land, have
often been viewed as idle wastelands, therefore attracting illegal development.
The legislative framework provides for divergent assessment of the width of the
riparian buffer zone, which further complicates management and enforcement
actions by government agencies. Additionally, although the problem is apparent,
its magnitude over time and space is unknown. This study seeks to demystify
the encroachment problem in the Nairobi Metropolitan Region, highlighting
the legislative loopholes and the spatial and regional complexities of land cover
changes along the riparian buffer zone from 1988 to 2014. The study reveals
that wetland areas within the metropolitan region dropped significantly by
50 per cent between 2010 and 2014, with Nairobi, Northern and the Southern
regions experiencing significantly high increase in built up areas and decrease
in wetland areas. | en |
