Kisumu County Sustainable Mobility Plan 2020

Abstract

Kisumu is the third-largest city in Kenya, after Nairobi and Mombasa. As the city grows, connectivity to education, employment, and social opportunities will be fundamental to Kisumu’s development. Yet today, residents face severe challenges stemming from the lack of adequate transport facilities and services. Despite high reliance on non-motorised transport (NMT) and public transport, most streets in the City of Kisumu are designed for motorised traffic. As a result, there has been an upsurge in private vehicle ownership and use in recent years. Residents face difficulty in accessing economic, educational, and social opportunities, while the city faces growing traffic, an unacceptable rate of fatal road crashes, and increasing emissions of toxic air pollution. Responding to these issues, the Kisumu County Government, in partnership with the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), with support from Ford Foundation and the International Climate Initiative, has prepared the Kisumu Sustainable Mobility Plan (KSMP), a ten-year plan providing a roadmap for improving mobility needs of the residents and businesses in Kisumu and its environs. The Plan has been developed through a participatory process with the city residents and various stakeholders including matatu operators, boda-boda operators, tuk-tuk operators, cyclists, persons with disabilities, and the business community, among others. The KSMP is anchored on existing policies, plans, and regulations, including the Integrated Strategic Urban Development Plan (ISUD) for Kisumu, which aims to guide the development of Kisumu up to 2030.