Kenya is partnering with the United Kingdom(UK) to build a new rail hub in Nairobi.
This project is poised to be the largest and most ambitious development ever to be undertaken in the Nairobi metropolitan region since independence and is expected to attract local and international private capital.
UK engineering firm Atkin Global has won the bid to design a modern, eight-platform central rail station and a public space, which will anchor commercial and residential developments on a 425-acre spread that will host the Nairobi railway transit hub.
The initial phase of the project will cost KSh 1.35 billion, excluding consultancy fees, which will be paid by the British government,” Philip Mainga, Managing Director of Kenya Railways, told the media.
The railway hub deal was first agreed upon between Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at a meeting in London two years ago.
“We are delivering that ambitious, strategic partnership that was agreed by our two national leaders,” said Vicky Ford, Britain’s minister for Africa.
The railway city is expected to take many years to implement, Kenyan government officials said.
Kenya plans to complete the Nairobi Rail City project in the next 20 years
According to tender documents from Kenya’s Ministry of Housing and Development, this iconic multi-modal, transit-oriented, urban development project will consist of a new railway station that allows for the integration of Bus Rapid Transport and other public transport modes as well as other commercial developments including skyscrapers, residential flats, a cultural center, and a museum.
It will be implemented in three phases within a span of 20 years on a 425-acre piece of land stretching from Haile Selassie Avenue, Uhuru Highway, Bunyala Road, Commercial Street, and Landhies Road.
The first phase entails the construction of meeting, incentive conferences, and exhibitions facilities along Bunyala Road. This phase will be executed between 2021 and 2023.
The second phase will be the construction of an economic zone comprising of hi-tech industries and small and medium enterprises while the third and the final phase, the East core, will be the construction of a residential complex featuring a school, park, and affordable housing units.
Upon completion, the economic free zone is expected to create more than 200,000 employment opportunities while the residential complex is expected to accommodate approximately 28,000 residents.
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