Eastern Bypass boosts business in Ruai and Kamulu

In four months, the Sh12.2 billion Eastern Bypass will be a 28km dual carriageway.

As a result of its strategic location, businesses along the bypass and property owners in surrounding areas will benefit greatly once dualling is compete in June.

It starts at City Cabanas along Mombasa Road, passes through Ruai towards Ruiru, passes over Thika Road to Ruaka where it joins the Northern Bypass.

The bypass was initially constructed as a single carriageway.

Since it was completed in 2014, however, considerable urbanisation and commerce have emerged along its corridor and traffic volume has increased significantly.

The Eastern bypass dualling was among 11 major infrastructure initiatives Kenya showcased to international investors during the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China, in May 2017.

A spot check by the Star reveals the bypass will open new business opportunities and improve the area's economy.

The Eastern Bypass is surrounded by prime real estate: Malaa, Joska, Ruai and Kamulu.

With accessible and reliable transport, land buying has become big business in eight years.

As the Eastern Bypass will increase road usage, the real estate business is booming, both commercial and residential.

Construction and hardware

“The best place to open a hardware store is where there is an upcoming community of people building their first homes," hardware store owner Joshua Ogola told the Star.

Ogola, 50, has run his store along the bypass since 2015 and the business supports his family.

Cement, steel bars, timber, fixtures and paint sell fast.

The increasing number of people buying land and buildings along the Eastern Bypass is a  bonanza for hardware, electrical, appliance and other businesses.

Tabitha Murage and her husband are running four hardware stores along the bypass as their main source of livelihood. The income has educated their children and two of them are in university. 

“When we started this hardware business, we were doubtful it would pick up because the area appeared deserted. But slowly, once people started buying property, the demand for construction materials has risen," owner James Murage said.

As more people buy plots and build houses and businesses, other businesses are thriving.

Along the bypass, the Star spotted four major health centres—Bahati Hospital, Equity Afya Centre, Haven Hospital, RFH healthcare.

The hospitals not only serve the community but also help bypass users in case of accidents and emergencies.

“Motorists can suddenly fall sick on the road and these hospitals provide adequate services for them,” resident Dennis Kiprotich said.

“When accidents happen, these hospitals are mostly their first stop." 

Data from the National Transport and Safety Authority from January 2020 to October 31, 2021, indicated 24 accidents along the Eastern Bypass.

In 2018, 273 black spots across the country were identified by NTSA, 199 of them being in the Northern Corridor and 74 in the capital.

In Nairobi, Outering, Waiyaki Way, Mombasa Road and the Eastern and Northern bypasses topped the list.

Eateries

Many restaurants and eateries are coming up, mostly selling African foods. They range from roasted meat to fast food.

Bars and liquor stores are opening.

For most of 2020 and 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic, most eateries and bars were struggling to stay open.

Curfew and restrictions on sale of food and alcohol caused losses.

The sector is coming back to life.

“People come from far away just to eat meat in the joints. That tells you the food along the Bypass is well known and appreciated," resident Daniel Kioko said.

Besides creating employment opportunities, the project is also attracting more investment.

Transport CS James Macharia said infrastructure projects create employment and promote local suppliers.

He said the Eastern Bypass expansion has employed 660 young people.

The project will include street lights and walkways along the bypass.

The CS said of the Sh12.5 billion for the Eastern Bypass, Sh5 billion was for the local sourcing of building materials.

“We insist on local materials and labour; this way the money will be pumped back into the economy,” he said.

Once the project is complete, it will be easier for motorists as they can avoid the increasingly congested city centre.

The Ministry of Transport is set to complete road works along the four bypasses  — Eastern, Western, Northern and Southern

"Traffic jams will end in Nairobi; you will see an entirely different city," Macharia said.

“By constructing these roads, we have a complete Nairobi circuit and you can drive around Nairobi without having to pass through the city centre to reach your destination."

He said the roads will attract more investors providing jobs to young people.

(Edited by V. Graham)