This archive report was first published on 5 November 2021.
On Thursday, November 5, 2021, a group of architects and researchers, Cave Bureau, presented a proposal to address the challenges faced by cattle herders in Nairobi, including areas adjacent to the Central Business District.
The proposal, led by Kabage Karanja and Stella Mutegi, aims to create cow corridors above and under major highways to accommodate the herdsmen and their livestock as they mingle with city residents.
The corridors will form a networked circuit intertwined with routes taken by tourists who enjoy marveling at the resilience of the Maasai Culture in the midst of Nairobi’s urbanization.
The proposal is part of a manifesto that aims to redress colonial injustices that led to the eviction of the Maasai people from Nairobi, their ancestral land.
The move, if implemented, will involve the planning of designated places for grazing and watering with salt licks, veterinary clinics, and Maasai trading zones, stretching from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport(JKIA) reserve land, right into the city's railway yards, underutilized reserves and riparian areas.
"We imagine a new kind of infrastructure we call Cow Corridors for the first inhabitants of the city," wrote Kabage Karanja and Stella Mutegi in their proposal.
The proposal comes after the construction of The Nairobi Expressway, a pilot project of the present-day government, which has taken over a big part of the greenery in the city, leaving areas exposed to erosion and prone to dumping of waste by companies and members of the public.
The Nairobi Expressway, a Ksh72.8 billion project, was initially valued at Ksh65.2 billion but was later increased by Ksh7.6 billion.
