Walking is the most common mode of transport across Nairobi. About 47% of trips across the city are on foot. That contrasts with 29% using the Matutu (buses) and only 15.3% using motorized vehicles such as cars, taxi’s and trucks.

Walking can be very hazardous however, since the passion for construction disrupts most walkways and there are few well paved footpaths outside of the Central Business District.

I miss walking to work, but it has proved too hazardous despite the fact that I live so close by, 20 mins walk from Kilimani to Valley Road. The main problem however is the thick black smoke that envelopes pedestrians from many vehicles, which is really disturbing in many ways.

In urban areas of Kenya, air pollution from traffic is a major cause of a lot of respiratory diseases. Common pollutants include carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, sulphur dioxide, lead and total suspended particulates (TSP). At present Nairobi’s level of suspended particulate matters is 7 times higher than in Stockholm. Out of 20 mainly developing country cities sampled for a UN study on air quality management capability, Nairobi’s capacity was rated as the worst. (UNEP WHO 1996).

Nairobi does not have any regular air quality system yet and any measurements of air pollution have been on an ad hoc basis.

There are some suggestions to improve the general infrastructure for transportation and the environment in Nairobi though. It’s outlined in a report called “Nairobi Urban Transportation Challenges – learning from Japan” by Zacharia Irungu King’ori.

Visible on http://www.scribd.com/doc/2369220/Final-Report-Nairobi-City

Photo Credit: A man walks in the median of construction prone Thika Road near a Total petrol station in Ruaraka in the outskirts of Nairobi.