GOVERNANCE AND FUNCTIONALITY OF CHILDREN’S PUBLIC OPEN SPACES IN NAIROBI CITY
GOVERNANCE AND FUNCTIONALITY OF CHILDREN’S PUBLIC OPEN SPACES IN NAIROBI CITY
Everlyne Amile Okubo - Department of Spatial and Environmental Planning, Kenyatta University, Kenya
Prof. Caleb Mireri - Department of Spatial and Environmental Planning, Kenyatta University, Kenya
Dr. Paul Aloyo - Department of Landscape Architecture, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya
ABSTRACT
Public open spaces (POS) are important for children’s physical, social, and cognitive development. In rapidly urbanising cities such as Nairobi, access to safe and functional open spaces is uneven among neighbourhoods. This study examines how governance influences the availability, safety, and usability of public open spaces for children, using political ecology theory to explain disparities across neighbourhoods. The study sampled three neighbourhoods in Nairobi City to represent different socioeconomic contexts: high-income (Lavington), middle-income (Buruburu), and low-income (Huruma). A mixed-methods approach included surveys, FGDs, KIIs, field observations, and spatial analysis, engaging 444 respondents (208 children, 70 parents, 166 other open space users). Purposive sampling was used to sampled key institutions based on their relevance, including Nairobi City departments (Talents, Skills Development and Care; Green Nairobi; Built Environment and Urban Planning), sports subcounty officers, ward managers and local user groups. The findings of this study show that functionality of POS depends more on governance and financing than on the presence of physical infrastructure. In Huruma informal settlement and Buruburu neighbourhood, informal volunteer-based governance, irregular funding, lack of recurrent budgets, and absence of structured participation result in unsafe, poorly maintained, and unattractive spaces. Children reported broken play equipment, lack of supervision, and exclusion from decision-making. Parents cited safety risks as a major reason for discouraging unsupervised play. In contrast, Jaffrey Sports Club in Lavington, managed by a trained team with sustained financing and structured user engagement, provided safe, clean, and engaging environments. The findings of this study demonstrate that unequal governance and resource allocation produce disparities in children’s public open spaces. Without reforms to funding and participatory planning, these disparities will worsen, increasing the likelihood of obesity among children and limiting progress toward SDG 11.7 and equitable urban development.
