An Assessment of the Role of Non-motorized Transport in Promoting Rural Mobility: a Case Study of Laikipia County, Kenya.

Abstract

The main objective of the study was to examine the role of non-motorized transport in promoting rural mobility in Laikipia County, Kenya. The specific objectives of the study were:- (a) To determine the relationship between socio- economic factors and NMT usage in Laikipia County; (b) To examine whether there is significant difference in travel distances by walking and cycling in Laikipia County; (c) To determine the extent to which availability of NMT has affected access to schools and market centers in Laikipia County; (d) To investigate whether there were existing cultural policies guiding gender promotion in usage of NMT in Laikipia County. Data was collected from both primary and secondary sources. Primary data was obtained from Laikipia County through interview schedule, observation and questionnaires. Secondary data was collected by thorough literature search and review of both published and unpublished research reports, journals and, books. The stakeholders that were interviewed include: Non-Motorized Transport Users, Key Informants, and Non-Motorized Transport Operators. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS). Descriptive statistics was used to analyze survey data related to non-motorized travel. Inferential statistics was used to determine whether the observed non motorized transport characteristics differ from the null hypothesis. The study had two hypotheses tested. The first hypothesis was: (a) there is no significant relationship between socio-economic factors and NMT usage in Laikipia County. This hypothesis was tested using multiple linear regressions. The socio-economic factors which were tested included: income, distance, age, marital status, education level, and occupation. The multiple correlations of income and distance variables revealed weak positive relationship of 0.205; income and age correlations also had a weak positive value of 0.260; while income and marital status correlations showed a weak positive value of 0.250. This implies that these variables were weak determinants of walking and cycling in Laikipia County. A correlation between respondents’ occupation and distance travelled showed a significant positive correlation of 0.492. This indicates that respondents’ occupation determines the distance travelled by walking and cycling in Laikipia County. It can also be interpreted that business location determines the distance travelled by the xvi respondents in Laikipia County. The study also revealed that there was a significant positive correlation between education level and distance travelled in Laikipia County. This means that the higher the level of education the greater the need of social interaction in search of business opportunities irrespective of the distance within the county. A multiple linear regression between walking and cycling showed a weak positive relationship which was denoted by R2 = 0.015. This was a weak positive correlation which implies that the relationship between walking and cycling was independent of the distance travelled. The low value of socio-economic factors of R square indicates that other factors than the measured socio-economic factors influenced the patterns of non-motorized transport used in Laikipia County. The second hypothesis was tested using Chi-square statistic (X2). The hypothesis tested was: (b) walking and cycling are independent of distance travelled in Laikipia County. The value of the calculated X2 at 2 degrees of freedom was 0.006 while the Critical X2 at 2 degrees of freedom at 0.05 significance level was 5.99. Therefore, the Calculated X2 was smaller than the Critical X2. Therefore, a conclusion was drawn that, there was no adequate evidence to reject the null hypothesis that, walking and cycling were independent of distance travelled in Laikipia County. Hence, the hypothesis was adopted. In other words, walking and cycling were not determined by the distance travelled in Laikipia. The study therefore, concluded that non motorized transport modes are not determined by spatial distance in Laikipia County. The study recommended that: (a) Interrogation of the non-motorized transport technologies adopted in Laikipia County should be done. (b) Lane segregation for both pedestrians and cyclists with physical partitions between motorized traffic and non motorized transport should be provided, and (e) Prices of spare-parts should be reduced by the government.