Rural African Perceptions of the City

RURAL AFRICAN PERCEPTIONS OF THE CITY* Ronald D. Garst Current growth among major cities in tropical Africa stems from rural to urban migration and from internal population growth, in contrast to earlier periods when internal growth was the principal cause. (1) Although many migrants stay only a short time the net cityward movement far exceeds the rate of return to the rural homeland, causing the larger African cities to grow at unprecedented rates. The population of Lagos, Nigeria, grew by 14 percent annually from 1950 to 1963, Kinshasa, Zaire, by 11.8 percent annually from 1960 to 1966, and Nairobi, Kenya, by 9.5 percent annually from 1962 to 1969. (2) Urban employment has not kept pace with population growth, causing unemployment in Nairobi, for example, ranging from 5 to 10 percent for male heads of households to an estimated 23 to 27 percent for females who are not heads of households. (S) If it were not for such high unemployment rates migration would be much higher, for current urban populations in Africa represent only a small fraction of potential urban migrants. (4) Each improvement in urban employment prospects is followed by an influx of rural job seekers. During 1964 and 1972, when the government, employers, and trade unions in Kenya agreed to a ten percent expansion in the labor force in an effort to reduce urban unemployment, the number of new migrants attracted far exceeded the number of jobs created. (5) Most research on rural to urban migration in tropical Africa has focused upon economic motivations of the migrants. Emphasis has been placed on the probable increase of income with modern sector employment, the ability to remain in the city while seeking employ- * Research funds were provided by the General Research Board, University of Maryland, and by the National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C. Computer time was provided by the Computer Science Center, University of Maryland. Computer consultation was provided by William Trotter. Fieldwork was carried out with the assistance of Mr. John Okeyo, Mr. Lazarus Onduke Omasire, Mr. Samwel Osonogo Ouko, and Mr. Gregorey Makori Sitima. Their assistance is gratefully acknowledged. Dr. Garst is Assistant Professor of Geography at the University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742. Southeastern Geographer Figure 1. Location Map for Gusii Preferences. Respondents were asked to state their preference for the eight urban areas shown above, for rural Kisii District, and for adjacent Kericho District where many Gusii have worked as tea pluckers on the large plantations. ment, the benefits of urban amenities, and the probability of securing employment in the modern sector of the economy. (6) This study examines non-migration. It attempts to shed light upon why the Gusii of western Kenya remain in their home territory in Vol. XVIII, No. 1 spite of its high population pressure. In nine of Kenya's 39 districts less than six percent of the population has emigrated; thus Kisii District may be considered representative of several low emigration districts . Rural heads-of-household were questioned about why they would migrate, not migrate, or return to the rural area after living in a city, and about conditions in rural Kisii District. Respondents were also asked their preferences for selected rural and urban areas in Kenya for clues about future migration potential ( Fig. 1 ) . Kisii District, located in western Kenya, is about 400 km west of Nairobi. It covers 2,217 square kilometers at elevations between 1,700 and 2,300 meters, and is the homeland of the Gusii people. Ample rainfall (125 to 230 cm annually), excellent soils, and an agriculturally progressive population have converged to produce an area capable of sustaining large numbers of people. (7) This district was selected as the research site because: 1)the population density of 304 persons per square kilometer, ranging in 1969 from 57 to 557, is one of the highest in Africa; 2)the district has a 3.8 percent annual population growth rate; 3)the Gusii comprise 98.0 percent of the district's population; and 4)94.3 percent of all Gusii in Kenya were resident in the district in 1969, representing a low rate of out-migration. METHODS. In tropical Africa, where linkages between rural...