Sh28bn Railway City takes shape as authority formed

The much-awaited Sh28 billion Nairobi Railway City has started taking shape after the formation of the Railway City Development Authority (RCDA), a special purpose vehicle.

The first phase of the 20-year project that is set to change the face of Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) will kick-off this year.

Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) Director-General Mohammed Badi said that the Authority was established in May and formation of an implementation committee was underway.

This follows a directive by President Uhuru Kenyatta in March for NMS to work closely with relevant institutions to establish the Authority and identify anchor projects and investors for the project.

“A gazette notice establishing the Railway City Development Authority was published on 13th May 2020 as Legal Notice No. 88 of 2020,” said Major General Badi.

“The implementation will spearhead the operationalisation of the Authority, develop framework for actualising the railway city, identify anchor projects and investors,” he added.

The iconic multi-modal urban development project, which is part of the Nairobi Integrated Urban Development Plan, will be implemented on a 425-acre piece of land stretching from Haile Selassie Avenue, Uhuru Highway, Bunyala Road, Commercial Street and Landhies Road.

The plan includes building of a new railway station that allows for the integration of BRT and other public transport modes as well as other commercial developments including skyscrapers, residential flats, a cultural centre and a museum.

On March 13, a moratorium on any development in the area was issued for one year to facilitate planning.

The project is divided into three components with the first component entailing the construction of facilities for meetings, incentive conferences and exhibitions which will be located along Bunyala Road.

The next will be an economic zone comprising hi-tech industries and small and medium enterprises. It is projected to create over 200,000 new jobs.

The final component, the East core, will comprise a residential complex – including a school, park and affordable housing units – to accommodate approximately 28,000 residents and it will be built in Landi Mawe and Industrial Area.

The Nairobi Railway station area will be developed into an iconic nerve centre for the city’s multi-modal transport system with a world class new central station incorporating mixed use commercial developments, housing and inter-modal facilities.