Migrants, urban poverty and the changing nature of urban–rural linkages in Kenya

Abstract

In the literature on rural–urban linkages in sub-Saharan Africa the focus has so far been predominantly on the urban dwellers contributing to the livelihood of the rural ones, usually through remittances from family members living in the city. Although acknowledged in the last two decades, the reverse flow, i.e. the extent to which town dwellers realise part of their livelihood from rural sources, remains poorly understood. Based on recent research in Nakuru town, Kenya, this paper demonstrates that urban–rural linkages are not only important for the rural households, but are becoming an important element of the livelihood (or survival) strategies of poor urban households.

¹Lecturer, Department of Geography & Environmental Studies, University of Nairobi.

The author wishes to thank the Netherlands Foundation for the Advancement of Tropical Research (WOTRO) for financial support, and the African Studies Centre, Leiden, the Netherlands, for granting him visiting fellow status during this study.

Notes

¹Lecturer, Department of Geography & Environmental Studies, University of Nairobi.