Why relocating capital city won't solve Nairobi's mess
In the last 100 years, 30 countries have moved or decided to relocate their capital cities.
Nairobi, according to the Economic Survey 2022, has a population of 4.3 million. Of these city dwellers, 2.7 million are lifetime migrants - representing 62 per cent of the city’s population.
The report shows there were 641,817 recent in-migrants compared to 411,790 out migrants.
This leaves Nairobi with 230,200 more people as migrants, the highest net of the 47 counties. This population burst has been a challenge to the State in offering services such as housing and sanitation.
Some experts have been suggesting relocation of the capital to ease such pressure. The challenge for many countries toying with this idea is whether they should build a new city or reconfigure the existing one.
But is this the only solution? If it is, will it solve the current crisis?
Constant Cap, an urban planning expert points out that the solution does not lie in new infrastructure. “New infrastructure or spaces will not change that without tackling the ‘soft’ challenges - informality and other challenges will simply follow it,” he said.
He explained that in some cases, relocating the capital may be a necessary move and gave an example of Indonesia.
