Urban Proximity and Its Influence on Peri Urban Land Use Pattern: A Case of Kimilili Town, Bungoma County, Kenya

Abstract

Urbanisation has caused unprecedented land use changes around urban settlements, leading to enormous socio-economic impacts on peri-urban residents. The spatial growth of urban settlements beyond designated boundaries into the urban fringes has resulted in the transformation of prime agricultural land into commercial and residential uses, effectively altering traditional land use patterns. The objective of this study was to establish the influence of proximity to urban settlements on peri-urban land use patterns. The study adopted a descriptive research design. Both quantitative and qualitative data was collected from both primary and secondary data sources. Data were collected using questionnaires and focus group discussions from a sample of 384 respondents randomly selected from the target population. The data was analysed using Pearson product moment correlation and simple regression analysis techniques. The study established a statistically significant relationship between distance from Kimilili town’s central business district and peri-urban land use change (t = 17.544, p<0.05). This implied that a unit increase in distance from the CBD would result in a variation in land use activities by 46.9%. The study concluded that the proximity of households to Kimilili town has a profound influence on how they use their land. The findings of the study will be useful in addressing challenges associated with urban sprawl in small and medium towns and propose a framework and guide for land use planning in Kimilili’s peri-urban area and other small and medium towns in Kenya.