By Nneka Nwogwugwu
Land resources management experts have warned that if county governments do not adopt policies to restrict land use according to the needs of the community, this will result in an artificial land shortage, affecting future planning for agriculture and other infrastructure development.
“Already we have seen in towns and cities poor land use, planning and management resulting in lack of space for important social services such as schools,” explains Prof Karanja Mwangi, a former chairman of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Nairobi.
“Children are forced to cover long distances to attend school, yet some of the development could be conveniently allocated land away from residential estates.
“This would leave space available for critical social facilities like hospitals, schools and social recreation, and utilities such as water and sewerage lines, roads, railways, power and internet installations.”
In counties, land should be zoned to secure agriculturally productive land from being interfered with by the robust land subdivision into plots for house development.
Dr Patrick Gicheru, a soil scientist specialising in land use, planning and climate change, says that accelerated land subdivision for commercial use such as real estate development poses a threat to agriculture-potential areas.
