| dc.description.abstract | Land use development poses a formidable challenge to
the local authorities which are inadequately equipped
politically, administratively, technically and
financially to perform their planning obligations
efficiently and effectively.
It is this fundamental problem confronting local
authorities in the management of land use development
in the urban centres in Kenya, that forms the central
theme underlying this study. The study specifically,
examines and identifies the roles that Machakos
township authority plays in the preparation and
implementation of physical development plans, vis-a-vis
the other agencies, and the difficulties it encounters
in its efforts to fulfill these responsibilities.
From the analysis of development projects in Machakos
town, this study establishes that, the authority is
expected to play significant roles in the planning
and implementation of development process. It is
observed also, that, the authority is handicapped
in its capacity to carry out its planning obligations
efficiently and effectively owing to the weakness of
the councillors and lack of technically qualified
staff, among other factors.
The root causes of its planning incapacity were
found to arise from the shortcomings in the
administrative system of the Local Government on
the one hand, and the weakness inherent in the
physical planning machinery on the other.
The strategies suggested for improvement of the
planning capacity of the authority call for a
combination of two types of actions; an
immediate use of the existing technical resources
in the central government agencies by incorporating
the technical officers from the functional Ministries
and other agencies at the local level, in the
council's decision-making committees, and secondment
of some qualified personnel from the relevant agencies
to the local authorities; It is recommended also,
that, a systematic training programme be initiated
to enable local authorities to develop the technical
manpower they require in the long run. Additionally,
the long term policy calls for a review of the
regulations governing the composition and working of
the local authorities with a view to making them,
more effective instruments for discharging their
responsibilities, as well as re-examination of the
planning legislation in order to streamline the
physical planning machinery at the local level.
Two areas of research are recommended in the light
of the findings of this study; one to facilitate
establishment of a criteria for determining the
planning capacity required by the various authorities,
and another for evaluating the existing planning
legislation with a view to mapping out the necessary
legislative changes for strengthening the physical
planning machinery and procedures at the urban level. | en_US |
