Effects of Population Growth on Urban Infrastructure and Services: A Case of Eastleigh Neighborhood Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

There is an increasing recognition that the growth of cities is inevitable and the solution to urban problems depends heavily on effective urban planning, infrastructure development and management. Rapid and often unplanned population growth is often associated with population demands that outstrip infrastructure and service capacity and leading to environmental degradation. This study, therefore sought to put into perspective impacts of population growth on infrastructure and service provision in Eastleigh neighbourhood. Its main themes were first, to understand trends in population growth; secondly, to understand the impact of population growth on infrastructure and services; thirdly, to explore available initiatives and their effectiveness in guaranteeing sustainable infrastructure and effective services in the neighborhood. The study interviewed 30 households, 20 businesses and 3 institutions in infrastructure development and service delivery. For households, simple random sampling technique was adopted while for institutions and businesses a purposive technique was utilized. The data was analysed with the aid of computer packages SPSS and Microsoft Excel programs. The packages generated outputs that were illustrated using percentages and bar graphs.