Growth and development of Nakuru town, 1895-2002

Abstract

Over the past hundred years, Kenyan sleepy colonial towns have been transformed into burgeoning post-colonial cities. As such, this study reflects the recent upsurge and growing popularity and recent interest in Nakuru Town. Moreover, the colonial racial dichotomy and the political economy of the colonial and post-colonial state are underscored in an effort to reveal the historical development of the town. Nakuru is the third largest town in Kenya, started as a railway station between 1899 and became a melting pot for setlters activities. This study thus traced the origin, growth and development of Nakuru between 1895 and 2002. In undertaking this study, both modernization and dependency theories were employed. Two sets of data were generated to inform this study namely primary and secondary data. Primary data was generated from oral interviews and archival data whereas secondary data was derived books, journals, monographs, government reports and publications among other sources. These sources were accessed from leading university libraries across the country. Two analytical frames were employed to analyze data namely documentary review and content analysis. The study will be useful for urban planners who may be interested in using the past data to reconstruct critical issues affecting modern urban planning.