Review of the proposed

design for Kenyatta Highway

Institute for Transportation and Development Policy

August 2016
Contents
1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 1
2. Existing conditions ........................................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Analysis of passenger and vehicle movements ..................................................................... 4
1.2 Analysis of crash data ............................................................................................................ 6
3. Review of the proposed design......................................................................................................... 6
1.3 Footpaths ............................................................................................................................... 8
1.4 Pedestrian crossings............................................................................................................. 10
1.5 Cycle tracks ......................................................................................................................... 11
1.6 Public transport .................................................................................................................... 11
1.7 Intersections ......................................................................................................................... 14
1.8 Developments along the corridor ........................................................................................ 14
4. Case study: Nairobi road ................................................................................................................ 15
5. Next steps ....................................................................................................................................... 17

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1. Introduction
The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has announced plans to reconstruct Kenyatta
Highway from Kisumu Boys’ roundabout (A1-B1 junction) to Mamboleo (A1- C34) Junction. The
project covers a stretch of approximately 5 km that functions as a key mobility corridor in the city of
Kisumu. Besides serving as one of the primary routes for local public transport services, Kenyatta
Highway links Kisumu to other counties such as Kakamega, Vihiga, and Eldoret.
Early this year, the County Government of Kisumu (CGK) embarked on an initiative in partnership
with the Institute for Transportation and Development policy (ITDP) to develop a Sustainable Mobility
Plan (SMP) and transport policy for Kisumu. The goal of the plan is to develop a clear roadmap for
developing safe, efficient, and accessible urban transport for Kisumu residents. Preliminary assessments
carried out as part of the mobility plan indicate that there is an acute need for better transport facilities
in the city, particularly those serving the majority of city residents who travel by walking, cycling, and
public transport.
Within the context of the planning process for the SMP, CGK and ITDP have reviewed the designs for
Kenyatta Highway in order to assess whether the proposed infrastructure is consistent with best
practices and the County’s vision of improving mobility for all road users. The assessment reveals that
there are significant shortcomings in the existing design. In particular, the designs are insufficiently
detailed and lack adequate provisions for pedestrians, cyclists, and public transport users. In order for
the current upgrade of Kenyatta Highway to provide lasting benefits and safe access for Kisumu
residents, it is essential that the corridor be redesigned to incorporate these elements. The following
report offers feedback to help improve the designs for the corridor.

2. Existing conditions
Kenyatta Highway traverses a densely built-up area with major market centres, schools, shopping malls,
churches, hospitals, recreation centres, bus park, hotels, and restaurants amongst others. It has
approximately 22 bus stops and serves intracity paratransit routes from the city centre to Mamboleo,
Carwash, Migosi, Lolwe, Kenya Re, Manyatta, Kondele, and Kibos.
Despite its important function within the city transport network, Kenyatta Highway is currently in a
deplorable state. The road’s condition has deteriorated over the years, with the stretch from Kisumu
Boys to Mamboleo junction characterised by potholes, poor drainage, a lack of designated bus stops,
and a complete absence of pedestrian facilities. Poor road conditions and inadequate traffic management
lead to frequent traffic snarl-ups. The recent KeNHA initiation to reconstruct the road is both an
opportune and timely intervention. Expansion of this road has the potential to improve mobility in
Kisumu City and help invigorate the local economy.

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Figure 1: KeNHA plans to upgrade Kenyatta Highway from Kisumu Boys' Roundabout to the
Mamboleo turnoff (marked in red)

The section from Kisumu Boys’ roundabout to Ofafa Memorial Hall runs for about one kilometre and
is a dual carriageway with a median of 6 m. It is a densely built up area and has paratransit stops at
Kisumu Boys’, Bus park, United Mall, Simba, Patel Flats and Ofafa Memorial Hall. There is a heavy
presence of vendors along the perimeter wall of Kisumu Boys,’ Kisumu Girls’, the Bus park, Ambala
building, and assorted locations near United Mall. Despite the huge pedestrian movements in the area,
there are no footpaths or crossings. During the morning and evening peak periods, traffic flow is stop
and go. Motorcycle boda-bodas and tuk-tuks use the median to avoid the traffic snarl ups. In spite of
the large numbers of matatus plying along the corridor, there are no designated stops or shelters for
paratransit services, resulting in congestion at major stops such as Bus Park and Kibuye market.

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Figure 2: Kisumu paratransit network. Many of Kisumu's matatus ply along Kenyatta Highway.

Figure 3: Kenyatta Highway at Kisumu Boys' roundabout. There are no provisions for pedestrians,
cyclists, or public transport. The median is not paved and mostly used by tuk-tuks and boda-
bodas.

From Ofafa Memorial Hall, the road narrows into a single carriageway towards Kondele. This section
is still densely built up with major trip attractors such as Kibuye market, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga
Referral Hospital, and Kondele Market. It has a heavy presence of pedestrians and vendors. It also has
several busy matatu stops. The final section from Kondele up to Mamboleo junction is a fast developing
area with upcoming residential and commercial buildings. The nearly completed Lake Basin Mall near
the Mamboleo Rd turnoff will be the biggest mall in Kisumu and is expected to attract heavy traffic.

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Figure 4: Kenyatta Highway near Kibuye Market (left) and just before Kondele roundabout (right)

1.1 Analysis of passenger and vehicle movements

As part of the data collection process for the Sustainable Mobility Plan, the CGK has conducted surveys
in Kisumu to document traffic and public transport passenger volumes along major corridors. Of the
mid-block traffic count locations along the Kenyatta Highway corridor, the maximum volumes of
vehicles as well as public transport passengers were observed between Kondele Police Station and
JOORTH. The total volume of vehicles in peak direction during the peak hour (7:00 to 8:00 a.m.) was
1,532 PCU.
Paratransit vehicles occupy 30 percent of the road space but carry 68 percent of passengers at this
location. Boda-bodas and tuk-tuks carry a further 11 percent of the passengers. Only 14 per cent of
passengers travel in cars, yet cars occupy 44 percent of the road space on the corridor. A frequency
occupancy study conducted at the same location showed that the peak hour passenger volumes along
Kenyatta highway are at 4,500 and 4,000 pphpd at Kondele Police Station and United Mall,
respectively.

Figure 5: While personal cars carry only 14 percent of passengers along Kenyatta Highway, they
occupy 44 percent of the road space.

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Table 1: Traffic volume for passenger modes and passenger movements between Kondele Police
station and JOORTH during the morning peak hour.

Peak hour Peak hour

% of road Average Passenger % passengers
volume: volume:
occupied Occupancy volume by mode
vehicles PCUs
Bicycle 197 39 4 0.0 0 0
Motorcycle 696 246 19 0.9 626 10
Tuk-tuk 29 23 2 1.8 52 1
Car 483 483 44 1.9 918 14
Matatu 330 330 30 13.3 4389 68
Buses 23 25 2 30.0 478 7

Figure 6: Peak hour passenger volumes (passengers per hour per direction) on paratransit. The
highest volumes in Kisumu are observed along Kenyatta Highway.

Frequency-occupancy counts for matatus and shared tuk-tuks conducted along major corridors in
Kisumu indicate that Kenyatta Highway is one of the busiest roads for paratransit services, carrying
over 4,500 passengers per hour per direction. Urgent improvements are required to improve comfort,
convenience, and safety for public transport passengers. It is essential that the physical designs for the
current project take into account the heavy volumes of public transport along the corridor.

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1.2 Analysis of crash data
Pedestrians remain the most vulnerable persons on the road. Analysis of road data for 2015 indicate
that 39 percent of the fatalities involved pedestrians. Eleven percent were cyclists and a further 25
percent were paratransit passengers. Many pedestrians were killed crossing the road, and there were
other notable cases of passengers run over as they attempted to board or alight from moving buses and
matatus. Altogether, three quarters of crashes involved public transport and non-motorised transport
users. Road design interventions therefore needs to ensure that that the corridor provides safer access
for all road users in the future.

Figure 7: Road fatalities in Kisumu County categorised by persons involved for the years 2015
and 2016. The 2016 data covers up to end of June.

Data from the first six months of 2016 indicate that half of all road fatalities occurred on the newly
completed Kisumu-Nairobi road. More profound is that on the same corridor, all the cases except two
involved pedestrians hit crossing the road. This corridor is in urgent need of road design measures that
reduce vehicle speeds and ensure that pedestrians have the right of way to cross, particularly at busy
paratransit stops such as Kasagam Flyover, Wells Petrol station, Nyamasaria, and Namba Okana.

3. Review of the proposed design

Although classified as a class A international trunk road under the old Kenya Road Act of 1999,
Kenyatta Highway is an urban street that serves a complex variety of functions. It is important that the
design for the corridor acknowledge the diversity of users and the presence of major activity generators
such as shopping malls, markets, hospitals, and schools. In order to provide safe, convenient access, the
design must balance the needs of different road users.

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Figure 8: Design proposal for Kenyatta Highway: typical midblock segment at (left) and
intersection of Kenyatta and Ondiek Highways (right)

The design for Kenyatta Highway as proposed by Sheladia Associates on behalf of KeNHA is depicted
in the figure above. This design has been provided as the detailed design for Kenyatta Highway to be
implemented by the contractor. It appears that the design established the centre alignment and then
produced offset alignments at constant widths along the entire corridor. The design omits elements such
as public transport stops, pedestrian crossings, pedestrian refuge islands, and service lane access points.
While the design indicates the basic widths of some street elements, it provides no indication of critical
design details. It has not addressed many of the issues discussed earlier in this note, including the need
for safe crossings and public transport facilities. Similarly, at intersections, there is no provision for
pedestrian and bicycle movements. For instance, footpaths and cycle tracks remain immediately
adjacent to the property line, resulting in long detours for pedestrians who wish to move straight. In
sum, the designs lack many of the features of an urban street.
In order for the project to be implemented successfully, it is essential to prepare a detailed design that
takes into account all road users. In contrast to the existing highway-oriented design, Kenyatta Highway
should be designed as an urban street. The design should discourage operating speeds higher than 50
km/h to ensure safety for the pedestrians and other vulnerable road users. The focus should be on
providing safe, convenient access for local trips, rather than emphasizing high speed personal motor
vehicle travel and through movement. The presence of Kisumu bypass provides an alternate route
through the city, so Kenyatta Highway need not be designed to carry a heavy volume of through traffic
and freight vehicles. The sample designs below show the level of detail required in a design for an urban
street. The next sections describe specific street elements in more detail.

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Figure 9: Sample designs for urban streets; a midblock location with public transport stop (left)
and an intersection (right). The detailing of footpaths, cycle tracks, public transport stops, and
pedestrian crossing facilities for safe access by all road users.

1.3 Footpaths
Comfort, continuity, and safety are the governing criteria for the design and construction of pedestrian
facilities. For this reason, the footpaths are divided into three main zones:
 Pedestrian zone: Continuous space for walking (minimum 2 m);
 Frontage zone: Buffer between street-side activities and the pedestrian zone; and
 Furniture zone: Space for landscaping, furniture, lights, bus stops, signs, and private property
access ramps.
Each of these zones plays an important role in a well-functioning footpath.

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Figure 10: The footpath zoning system (left) and example of a well-functioning footpath on
Achieng Oneko road (right).

The present design for Kenyatta Highway indicates a footpath with a total width of only 1.5 m. While
the design does not show the positioning of elements such as utility boxes, light poles, tree pits, and bus
shelters, these elements presumably would need to be located in the 1.5 m width, leaving no space for
pedestrian movement. To accommodate a clear width of 2 m, footpaths generally should be expanded
to a total width of at least a 3-4 m, not 1.5 m as provided in the design.
Street vending plays a key role in the local economy in Kisumu, and vendors are present in large
numbers along the Kenyatta Highway corridor, particularly in proximity to the Bus Park. The present
designs do not indicate any space for organised vending zones. If space is not provided, street vendors
are likely to occupy the footpaths and cycle tracks, thereby rendering these elements unusable by
pedestrians or cyclists. Instead, vending areas can be integrated in the design at strategic locations such
as bus stops, intersections, and market areas, helping to prevent encroachments on other street elements.

Figure 11: map showing location of vendors within the Kisumu CBD (left) and an example of
inclusion of organised vending spaces within the streetscape (right)

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The height of the kerb of the footpath above the carriageway should not exceed 150 mm and at property
entrances, the footpaths should remain at the same level. At present, the design does not indicate the
location of any property entrances, so it is unclear how the interaction between property entrances and
the footpath will be handled. The best practice is to keep the footpath at the same level at footpaths,
with a ramp for vehicles in the furniture zone.

Figure 12: Property entrances should be at the same level with footpath.

1.4 Pedestrian crossings

To ensure safety and convenience for pedestrians, safe pedestrian crossings should be constructed at
major crossing points along the corridor. At these locations, pedestrian crosswalks should be designed
as “tabletop crossings” at the same height as nearby footpaths.

Figure 13: Table-top crossings with ramps are the preferred design for pedestrian crossings.

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Foot overbridges should be discouraged on Kenyatta Highway. Such bridges are often unsafe and are
inaccessible to persons with disabilities. Experience from cities around the world has shown that
pedestrians rarely use foot overbridges on urban streets, and they encourage motorists to speed. A
survey conducted by Ma3Route in Nairobi showed that the highest number of pedestrian fatalities
occurred at the foot overbridges. In addition, in the absence of extra land acquisition, foot overbridges
usually block footpaths, further diminishing the quality of the pedestrian environment.

1.5 Cycle tracks

The design has a proposed a cycle track of 1.5 meters from Kisumu boys to Mamboleo Junction. This
width should be increased to 2 m to allow cyclists to pass one another. In addition, cycle tracks should
physically separated from the carriageway, ideally by raising the level of the cycle track above the
carriageway. This will help ensure that the cycle tracks do not collect dirt and debris. They should be
separated from the footpath either by a modest vertical separation (i.e., 50 mm) or a landscaped buffer.

Figure 14: Cycle tracks should be smooth, continuous, and physically separated from the
carriageway. They should be positioned between the service lane and the carriageway in
order to reduce conflicts with pedestrian movements.

At sections where public transport and cycling facilities meet, such as at a bus stops, an integrated
design must ensure that neither mode inconveniences the other. Best practice is to put the cycle track
behind the bus stop with adequate space for pedestrians to cross from footpath to the bus stop. Bicycle
boda-boda parking areas should be provided at bus stops along Kenyatta Highway since many
passengers use boda-bodas for last-mile connectivity.

1.6 Public transport

The design for Kenyatta Highway should reflect the importance of the corridor as a public transport
route and the fact that public transport passengers constitute over two-thirds of passengers traveling on
the corridor. Presently, there is no apparent provision for bus stops in the design. At the very least,

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public transport measures such as well-spaced, easily accessible bus stops with proper signage and bus
shelters should be provided.
With current paratransit volumes of above 4,500 passengers per hour per direction (pphpd), strong
consideration for bus rapid transit (BRT) must be made. Looking at a design period of 20 years, it is
evident the traffic will increase considerably. If no steps are taken to improve public transport in
Kisumu, more and more commuters will switch to personal motor vehicles as soon as they have the
economic means to do so. A better approach would be to take a bold step to allocate road space equitably
and provide a mobility system to support the future mobility needs of the city.
A single BRT lane could carry up to 12,000 pphpd, greatly increasing the capacity and providing high
quality service for the majority of commuters along the corridor who use public transport. BRT would
be the only effective long-term way of increasing capacity within the available right-of-way. A bus-
based public transport system would further help streamline the public transport sector in the city and
attract ridership from those who use shared autos, private cars, and company vehicles.

Figure 15: Matatu stops along Kenyatta Highway

BRT is a high-quality customer-oriented public transport service that delivers fast, comfortable, and
low cost mobility. BRT can provide the high quality of service to a large number of citizens across
Kisumu at a relatively low cost. BRT typically has a few distinct qualities:
 Dedicated bus lanes in the centre of the street (to avoid conflicts with kerbside activities and
turning movements).
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  Frequent and high quality stations (typically every 500 m).
 Special buses that allow step-less boarding into the bus.
 Electronic ticket fare collection at stations (using contactless smart cards or tokens).

Figure 16: Sample BRT corridor design for a 36m RoW (left) and a BRT corridor in Ahmedabad,
India

Figure 17: A BRT system along Kenyatta Highway could function with a direct service model, with
dedicated lanes along the most congested stretches (dashed lines) and route extensions to
various localities.

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1.7 Intersections
The major junctions of Kisumu Boys’ roundabout, Gumbi Road junction, Ondiek Highway junction
and Kondele roundabout are the traffic bottlenecks at peak periods. The present design does not
substantially alter the designs for the junctions, raising the concern that it will do little to streamline
traffic movements. While it is beyond the scope of this report to give detailed designs for junctions,
there are a few suggestions to be considered:
 The redesign of the Ondiek highway junction as a roundabout should be further analysed. The
roundabout would add an extra turning movement that currently is not allowed. The leg of
Ondiek highway with light traffic would receive equal priority at the circle, resulting in
inefficient operation of the intersection. In general, a simplification of signal cycles that reduces
the number of turning movements can help increase the performance of the junctions.
 Similarly, the design of Kondele junction should be revisited to explore options for simplifying
the junction’s signal cycle. This junction experiences long queues during the peak hour, yet the
design maintains the existing configuration.
 The intersections should be designed with safe provisions for pedestrian and cycle movements.
Pedestrian refuges with a minimum width of 1.8 m should be provided to allow pedestrians to
wait before crossing the next arm of traffic. Previous designs such as that for the medians at
Kisumu Boys’ have very short splitter islands that are not adequate for the volume of
pedestrians who need to cross. As a result, the pedestrians wait on the inner lane of the
carriageway for a crossing gap.
 The design closes several small junctions, which may result in wrong-way driving as motorists
seek to avoid taking a U-turn further down the road. In addition, the closure of small junctions
will preclude critical public transport movements, such as right turns by vehicles from Kenyatta
Highway into Lolwe Estate. Crossing movements can be restored at Lolwe, Nyerere Rd, and
other critical crossing points.

1.8 Developments along the corridor

Kenyatta Highway is mixed use corridor with a high concentration of activities. The corridor has a
number of institutional land uses, such as schools, hospitals and clinics; service outlets such as banks
and petrol stations; open air markets; malls, recreational and entertainment centres; and a few residential
units. Some of the city’s primary trip attractors, such as Kibuye Market and the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga
Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOORTH), are located along the corridor. These points experience
heavy traffic and are points of bottlenecks during peak periods. The proposed design needs to take into
account the travel patterns near these activity generators in order to support both the existing and
planned land uses.
Kibuye Market attracts heavy traffic both on weekdays and weekends. Some of intercity and intra-city
paratransit routes terminate at Kibuye on specific days, stopping at the roadside to drop off and pick up
passengers. There is a high volume of pedestrians going to the market every day, and to the Kibuye
Catholic Church on Sundays. Handcart pullers and boda-boda operators also frequent the market to load
and offload goods. In addition, a number of vendors spread their wares by the roadside. Currently, CGK
is in the final stages of redesigning Kibuye Market with a four storey structure to provide additional
space for vendors and enhance the efficiency of operations. These improvements are expected to lead
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to a further increase in footfalls at the market. Redesign of this section of Kenyatta Highway to include
convenient access to the market, provisions for public transport, wide pedestrian paths, and cycle tracks
that can also accommodate handcarts is critical. Similar provisions should be made at other destinations
such as JOORTH and other major developments such as Lake Basin Mall.
Moving forward, the Kisumu Integrated Strategic Urban Development Plan envisions the Kenyatta
Highway corridor as a major development axis in the city. Central areas around Kisumu Boys and the
Bus Park are slated for densification, and the corridor also connects to a new development node around
the Lake Basin Mall. Better public transport and pedestrian facilities are critical to ensure that the
corridor can support the planned increase in activities without a major increase in the use of personal
motor vehicles.

Figure 18: The Kisumu Highway design needs to provide excellent access by sustainable transport
in order to support the long-term densification of the corridor, as envisioned in the Kisumu ISUD
Plan.

4. Case study: Nairobi road

The experience with the recently completed Nairobi Road, depicted in the cross section below, offers
several lessons that may help inform the design of Kenyatta Highway. There are no designated bus
stops along the road despite Nairobi Road being a major public transport route in the city. The chaotic
nature of traffic at locations such as Jubilee Market is as a result of inadequate facilities for public
transport, for goods vehicles, and organised on-street parking. As a result, matatus, tuk-tuks, and boda-

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bodas use the 4 m service lane for boarding and parking. With some vendors displaying their wares on
top of the covered drains, pedestrians are often left with the carriageway as the only place to walk.

Figure 19: Typical cross section of Nairobi road.

Figure 20: The design for Nairobi road gives no consideration for public transport. As a result,
paratransit vehicles park in the area intended for pedestrians and cyclists.

The service lane next to the carriageway, originally intended as a shared space for pedestrians and
cyclists, is now used by all types of vehicles. Even with the placement of bollards across the section at
intervals, the cyclists and pedestrians are still not able to use them, preferring to walk and cycle on the
1.3 m drain covers in order to avoid conflicts with motor vehicles. Motorcycles riding at speeds of more
than 50 km/h use these paths to avoid the rumble strips and bumps on the main carriageway. Errant
motorists accessing adjacent buildings or plots at times drive over the covers, causing damage and
gaping holes where covers have become displaced.

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Figure 21: Provision of non-motorised facilities on Nairobi road is insufficient. Safe, dedicated
footpaths and cycle tracks are essential.

The design restricts access, allowing for U-turn movements only at Kisumu Boys’ roundabout, Ring
Road roundabout, and Nyamasaria. The result has been that tuk-tuks and motorcycles use the 4 m non-
motorised lane, effectively turning it into a service lane. Several crashes have also occurred on the road
as a result of motorcyclists making illegal turns through the drainage spaces along median kerbs to
avoid traveling to the next U-turn location.
The bias of the Nairobi Road design to through movement of motor vehicles is best illustrated in the
photos below. Children are forced to cross wide expanses of the carriageway with few designated
crossings or traffic calming elements. In instances where a median refuge has been provided, they are
too narrow, leaving pedestrians feeling unsafe in the midst of fast moving traffic. The lanes provided
are wide at 3.8 m each. The volume of vehicle traffic along the stretch between Kasagam interchange
and Kisumu Boys has fallen since bypass traffic can turn to Kondele at Kasagam. The result is about
16 m of underutilised carriageway space and little or no provision for other road users.

Figure 22: Nairobi Rd lacks safe and convenient pedestrian crossings and refuges.

5. Next steps
We recommend a complete redesign of Kenyatta Highway to incorporate the following elements:
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  Pedestrian facilities, including adequately sized footpaths and pedestrian crossings.
 Continuous cycle tracks.
 Provisions for public transport, including a possible BRT corridor.
 Safe, efficient intersections.
As a first step, a roundtable discussion could provide a platform for all relevant stakeholders to agree
on an optimum, cost-effective design concept that caters for all road users. In addition, we recommend
an audit of the newly completed Nairobi Road, Kisumu-Busia Road, and Kisumu Bypass to evaluate
the performance of these corridors. Some modest improvements would go a long way toward increasing
the liveability of these streets. ITDP and CGK look forward to working with various authorities to
develop a design for Kenyatta Highway that provides safe access for all.

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