Tharaka Nithi County is using a new spatial plan to turn Kathwana, its headquarters, from a small market centre into a properly structured urban hub.
Governor Muthomi Njuki says the county chose to plan the town early because it was starting from a relatively open slate. He argued that this gave the administration room to shape development before disorder set in.
“Other places would have a problem with what to do with existing institutions and developments,” Njuki said.
Until earlier this year, county offices in Kathwana operated from temporary mabati structures. The county has now moved to a formal plan prepared by the University of Nairobi, which Njuki says will direct growth in the town and support a longer-term vision for it as more than an administrative centre.
The governor said the plan cost Sh8 million, far below the Sh35 million lowest quotation he said the county received from a private firm.
Njuki said Kathwana was selected despite earlier controversy because of its room for expansion, favourable climate and location near the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport corridor.
He said the county does not want Kathwana to follow the problems seen in some larger cities, including Nairobi.
Kathwana Municipality covers a radius of about 10 to 15 kilometres, but the county fears development on the Embu County side of the boundary could undermine the plan. Njuki said the issue has already been raised with the Embu governor and that the two sides have agreed to discuss it further.
“The challenge is how to control development acroos the border to avoid a scenario where where there is a good plan in Kathwana but across the river (boundary between the two counties) is a slum.... Cities disobey administrative boundaries,” he said.
He added that the matter would need county assembly approval and that Embu would have to be shown the benefits of coordinated planning.
On landowners who already have plots or structures in the area, Njuki said the county will not issue new permits unless proposed development fits the plan. He said the document went through public participation and was approved by the community.
“Even though the UoN told us (the plan) is going to take care of us for 50 to 100 years, in my opinion, even 200 years to come there will be no need to re-plan Kathwana,” Njuki said.
The governor also said land values have risen sharply. Before the planning exercise, an acre in Kathwana sold for between Sh300,000 and Sh400,000. He said the same acre now goes for Sh1 million, less than a year later.
The county says the plan is meant to secure orderly growth, protect future development and position Kathwana for long-term expansion.
