Nairobi may get six new towns to ease crowding

Six new towns are to be built in the Nairobi metropolis as part of plans to decongest the city.

According to a draft master plan of the new Nairobi Metropolitan region, the three counties that make up the metropolis will each have two cities, which are expected to drive their respective economic development.

The plan, released yesterday, proposes the construction of an Aerotropolis city near Thika municipality and a Knowledge- cum-Health city near Ruaka town all in Kiambu County.

An aerotropolis is an urban area whose economy is centred on an airport.

In Machakos County, the plan envisions the building of a Cyber City at the junction of the greater Eastern by-pass and Kangundo road, as well as a Sports City on Mombasa road.

In Kajiado County, an Amboseli New Town is to be put up adjacent to the national park while another city to be known as the Transport New Town is to be built between Kajiado and Konza.

“The new towns shall be infrastructure led cities where high quality urban services for public transport, telecommunication and Information Technology connectivity, water supply, sewerage, waste recycling and solid waste management shall be provided,” reads the plan developed by Consulting Engineering Services of India.

“They will all have high speed rail connectivity between them and Nairobi and other urban regional centres...the towns will also have an airport,” it adds.

Present at the presentation was Nairobi Metropolitan minister Njeru Githae and other stakeholders, who were supposed to critique the plan before its approval.

The plan says 12,000 hectares will have to be bought for the proposed towns.

They will either be developed by the county government, by a New Town Development Authority or by a private developer through Private Public Partnership.

Mr Githae defended his ministry against claims of dragging its feet in discharging its mandate saying it lacked recognition by the law.