Figure 2-2 – Makueni County settlement patterns and road connectivity

Figure 2-2 – Makueni County settlement patterns and road connectivity

Source: Atkins analysis

2.2 Planning Context

The planning context provides the foundation of the development of the UEP. The most relevant non-statutory urban development and planning strategies for Wote Municipality are listed below:

Kenya Vision 2030 is the long-term development blueprint for the country and the most ambitious national strategy launched in 2008. It was approved in 2016 by Cabinet Sub-Committee and presented in Parliament in 2017. The aim is to create a globally competitive and prosperous country with a high quality of life by 2030 and to transform Kenya into a newly-industrialising, middle-income country providing a high quality of life to all its citizens in a clean and secure environment.

The vision has been implemented through five-year medium-term plans, the current one is the Third Medium Term Plan 2018-2022 (MTP III) which has been integrated with The Big Four Agenda that has been under implementation from 2018 to 2022. The upgrade of MTP III focuses on 1) industrialisation, manufacturing and agri-processing, 2) affordable housing, 3) food and nutrition security, and 4) universal healthcare, the so-called “Big Four” initiatives to support higher economic growth and job creation across the country. The MTP III is also supporting the continuous and progressive implementation of the devolution programme.

The National Spatial Plan (NSP) is a key enabler of Vision 2030 and the MTP III, it has been prepared to provide further policy direction guiding long-term development, sector plans, the CIDP and overall spatial development of the country. The NSP established that the 47 headquarters, including Wote, are administrative and commercial centres of each county and are expected to see increased investment in real estate, education and commerce as well as to attract people to migrate for seeking employment and other opportunities. The National Urban Development Policy (NUDP) is guided by clauses 176 and 184 of the Kenya Constitution that provides for regulation and governance of urban areas and cities. The NUDP seeks to create a framework for sustainable urban development in the country. It focuses on addressing critical thematic areas such as: urban economy, urban finance; urban governance and management; national and county urban planning; land, environment and climate change; social infrastructure and services; physical infrastructure and services; urban housing; urban safety and disaster risk management; and inclusion of marginalised and vulnerable groups.

The Makueni County Vision 2025 (2016) provides the platform for wealth creation and socio-economic transformation in Makueni County by the year 2025. It is anchored on the Kenya Vision 2030, Africa Union’s Agenda 2063 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The vision addresses socio-economic development challenges that have faced the County since its independence, the result of which has been a high level of poverty and inequality. The Vision 2025 is based on eight key founding principles and focuses around three pillars that identify flagship projects and programmes for implementation by 2025. The pillars are: i) economic, ii) social amenities and services, and iii) political and governance.

The County Integrated Development Plan 2018-2022 (CIDP) (2018) is grounded upon the Vision 2030, the MTP III, the NSP and international targets such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The CIDP is one of the most important documents at County level, which aims to guide the County to reach a sustainable path of economic growth and enhance the welfare of its citizens over the five-year period. The strategic goals of the CIDP are to: i) increase agricultural productivity, value-addition and commercialisation, ii) increase availability and access to water, iii) enhance quality healthcare for all, iv) youth, women and PWD economic empowerment, v) secure land tenure and urbanisation. The Makueni County Spatial Plan 2019 – 2029 (CSP) (2019) is the long-term land use and spatial planning framework that highlights the existing strengths and deficits in the existing spatial structure and proposes a strategy of interventions which integrate various components into a wholesome and overarching framework to achieve long-term sustainable development across the County. Six county spatial development framework strategies are proposed, these are: i) Environment and natural resources management, ii) Agricultural development, iii) Economic development, iv) Settlement development, v) Transportation development, and vi) Infrastructure and services development.

At the local level there are two main plans for Wote Municipality: The Draft Wote Municipality Integrated Development Plan 2021-2025 (IDeP) (2021) and the Draft Wote Municipality Spatial Plan 2021-2030 (MSP) (2021)1. The draft IDeP aims to provide an overall integrated framework and co-ordinated programming of projects and budgets across all spheres within the Municipality.

The Draft MSP is a framework aimed at guiding the general trends and direction of development in the Municipality. The plan provides a spatial structure that defines how spaces within the Municipality are intended to be utilised to ensure optimum use of land and resources.

1 The IDeP and MSP were in draft form when writing this report.