Population mobility and employment: A Case Study of the Athi River Township
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Date
1979Author
Okatcha, Kathleen K
Type
ThesisLanguage
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The primary purpose of this study was
to determine and estimate the magnitude of
factors that have influenced out-migration from
the source~ areas of migrants in this study. The
sample consisted of 245 heads of house-holds
resident in the Athi River urban center at the
time of the surveyed
The obtained results have indicated that,
amongst other things, intervening distance between
the areas of origin and the Athi River township,
low wage earning levels, low levels of Government
per capita expenditure and high population
density in the rural environment have stimulated
out-migration from the rural origins of the
migrants. The greatest impact on migration rates
comes from the distance factor' and the mean wage-
8a~ning5 differentials Positiv2 migrant selectivity
en the basis of Sex, and Age has been shown to have
occurred amongst the migrants at their areas of origin
while the potential retirees have been shown
to have been negatively selected from the sample
population on the basis of Age and Occupa1ion.
The results have ~2en illustrated to be
con6i~t~nt with pr2vious research work and
they imply that rur31 t~ urban migration is
both desirable and undesirHbJ.2 because while
high I e v eLs of ac enom i c opportunity have attracted
R 9 r 2 a t In, 3 n y 1 n - rn i 9 r a n t s L ri t c the TOtLl 11S hip ,
the grim.reality of low levels of economic opportuni
ty in the rUT a l en v ir o nrn an t and r esul tant
massive un empLoyvrmen t ar c axpu s ed , Furthermore,
positiv2 migrant selectivity of the sample population
points to the possibility of negative selectivity
of the non-migrants in the rural environment and
hence, t h e robbing of able h an d s from rural
Bocio-economic development projects - an aspect of the
migration process that needs further research.
Citation
A thesis submitted to the population studies and research institute as partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of master of arts (population studies), university of NairobiPublisher
Institute of population Studies and research