Thika Town./FILE
Kiambu county’s bid to make Thika Town the sixth city received a major boost on Thursday after the county assembly unanimously approved a report to facilitate its conferment as an industrial smart city.
The report by the planning and urban development committee, which was tabled by chairman and Murera ward MCA Moses Ngatha, will now proceed to the Senate for consideration, Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi said.
The next step is for the Senate Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations to either approve or dismiss it.
If approved, Thika will join Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru and Eldoret as Kenya’s cities. The Urban Areas and Cities (Amendment) Act, 2019 provides conditions for city status as a population of more than 250,000 persons, self-sufficiency revenue generation, integrated urban or city development plan, functional administration systems, proper infrastructure and social amenities.
Governor Wamatangi in February submitted the ad hoc committee’s report and charter to the county assembly for approval.
The committee, which was led by former Senator Sylvia Kasanga, highlighted Thika’s readiness for city status, projecting annual investments of more than Sh1 billion and creation of jobs. Additionally, Wamatangi said city status would boost infrastructure and create 50,000 jobs.
In a statement published on the Kiambu county website, Wamatangi projects that once upgraded to a city, Thika will also attract grants of approximately Sh1 billion per year for infrastructural development, including road tarmacking, drainage, street lighting, water connectivity and a sewerage system.
“Upon attaining city status, Thika will experience substantial benefits, including infrastructural development, improved social standards, economic growth through the establishment of new businesses, increased property values and economic empowerment via a 24-hour economy,” the governor said.
The elevation will enhance the Kiambu’s international visibility, opening doors for opportunities and collaborations on the global stage.
“That is why I have set my sights on achieving this,” Wamatangi said.
To prepare ground for the elevation the county has rolled out key infrastructure projects such as the proposed dualling of a section of Thika-Garrisa Road and increasing water capacity at Sh5.7 billion, which he successfully lobbied for during a meeting with President William Ruto at State House on October 23, 2022.
Other projects include the Economic Processing Zone on 324 acres ceded Delmonte land, 25,000 affordable housing units, an international-standard stadium whose first phase is underway, markets and hospitals.
“The county has also partnered with the Japan International Cooperation Agency to manage waste better at the Kang’oki dumpsite that adopts inventive semi-aerobic landfill techniques,” the statement said. The Kiandutu informal settlement, which has since been renamed diaspora, is also being improved.
The county had set aside Sh150 million for the infrastructure projects in the area, which include bitumen-standard roads, walkways, a social hall, drainage, high-mast floodlights, and 5,000 titles for residents living in the settlement.
