URBAN MOBILITY GOVERNANCE FAILURE AND INCLUSIVE TRANSPORT OUTCOMES:: EVIDENCE FROM NIGERIA’S KEKE TRICYCLE SCHEME

Abstract

Urban transport interventions in many cities of the Global South increasingly aim to address unemployment, mobility gaps, and social inclusion. However, the effectiveness of such initiatives often depends more on governance quality than on policy design. This study examines Nigeria’s Keke  Tricycle Empowerment Scheme (KTES) as a case of urban mobility governance failure, assessing how institutional and political dynamics shaped its implementation and outcomes. Drawing on Social Capital Theory and a multi-stakeholder urban mobility governance framework, the study investigates the roles of political patronage, institutional capacity, transparency, accountability mechanisms, and

stakeholder participation in program delivery. Using qualitative field evidence and policy analysis, the findings reveal that although the scheme was designed to enhance income generation, promote gender inclusion, and improve urban mobility, weak institutional oversight and politicized beneficiary selection distorted implementation processes. These governance failures resulted in elite capture, loan repayment challenges, socio-economic precarity, and the exclusion of vulnerable groups. The study demonstrates that transport-based livelihood schemes do not automatically produce inclusive or

sustainable mobility outcomes. Instead, their effectiveness depends on governance integrity,

institutional coordination, and participatory implementation structures. By linking urban mobility

interventions to governance performance, the paper contributes to urban transport planning

scholarship and offers policy recommendations for strengthening accountability and inclusive

planning in informal transport systems across developing urban contexts.