Investigating for Contributory Factors to Traffic Congestion in Nairobi City, Kenya

Traffic congestion is a wasteful phenomenon to businesses, society, environment and the economy as a whole. This study analyzed contributory factors to traffic congestion in Nairobi city, Kenya. Identification of study variables relied on theories and principles from welfare economics. Data was collected through questionnaires administered to the city-s motorists, interviews with key informants, observations and secondary data sources. Descriptive statistics, mathematical computations and counterfactual analysis were used to analyze the data. Results showed that the city-s congestion is due to continuously increasing number of vehicles without effective corresponding long-term congestion management strategies. Its related wastages were estimated as Ksh 146.5 billion and Ksh 16.7 billion annually in terms of delays and wasted fuel respectively. It concludes that management of traffic congestion in the city is not a one-off solution but one that shall involve all the city-s stakeholders including undertaking expensive infrastructural projects and revision of various anti-congestion policies. There is also need to cascade such research in other growing towns within the counties to share experiences and develop national statistics on the problem.