Thika city status bid gets green light from Kiambu assembly
Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi (right) during a meeting with a delegation from the Kenya National Highways Authority led by Ephraim Obuollah (second left).
The quest by Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi to transform Thika Town into an industrial smart city is set to advance to the Senate after Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) endorsed a report proposing its elevation to city status.
The County Assembly’s Departmental Committee on County Planning and Urbanisation, chaired by Moses Ngatha, tabled the report before the House, where it was unanimously passed by the ward representatives.
The report will now be forwarded to the Senate for debate and consideration. If approved, it will then be sent to President William Ruto for the granting of city status and a city charter.
If successful, Thika will become Kenya’s sixth city, joining Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru and Eldoret.
A view of Thika town in Kiambu County on July 21, 2022.
Kiambu Speaker Charles Thiong’o praised the move to elevate Thika to a smart city, calling it a brilliant idea that would open the town to increased investment, infrastructure expansion and job creation for local and neighboring populations.
"We will convey the Assembly’s approval to the Senate and look forward to the eventual granting of the charter. This means more investors and investments coming into Kiambu, translating to more opportunities for the people of Kiambu and neighboring counties," Mr Thiong’o said.
Governor Wamatangi had submitted the report and charter to the Assembly in February.
This followed overwhelming public and stakeholder support for the initiative as established by an ad hoc committee he had appointed, chaired by former nominated senator Sylvia Kasanga.
The Assembly committee also conducted its own independent public participation exercises before drafting the final report.
While tabling the report, Mr Ngatha noted that Thika’s current population, estimated at over 700,000, meets the Urban Areas and Cities Act’s threshold of 250,000 residents required for city status.
According to Mr Ngatha, the committee’s recommendation was also influenced by the existence of an already-approved Integrated Strategic Urban Development Plan, which aligns with Thika’s development needs, ensures sustainable operations, and allows for future expansion.
“Thika Town has demonstrated the capacity to generate sufficient revenue to run its operations and to effectively and efficiently deliver essential services to its residents, as provided in the first schedule of the Urban Areas and Cities Act. It also has adequate space for expansion and necessary infrastructure,” Mr Ngatha told the House.
He added that the municipality is among the county’s top revenue generators, collecting income from land rates, business permits and licenses, environmental charges, parking and transport fees and county equitable share allocations.
Governor Wamatangi noted that Thika Town’s strategic location makes it a gateway to Mt Kenya, Eastern and North Eastern Kenya and even countries in the Horn of Africa. He described it as one of the fastest-growing towns in Kenya, with enormous potential for further growth if fully exploited.
Situated along the Trans-Africa Highway corridor, Thika serves both the southern and northern regions of the continent.
Mr Wamatangi said that as a city, it could serve as a key economic and trade hub for central East Africa and beyond.
The town is well connected through an intermodal transport network, including the Nairobi-Thika Superhighway, a railway line, and a transit highway to northern Kenya. It is also just 40 kilometers from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the largest airport in the Great Lakes region.
With city status, Governor Wamatangi said Thika would gain enhanced international visibility, attract more funding and grants and channel these resources into development projects, social programs and other critical initiatives.
Kamenu MCA Peter Mburu said once Thika attains city status, it will experience numerous benefits including infrastructural development, improved living standards, and economic growth. These would be driven by the establishment of new businesses, increased property values and the rise of a 24-hour economy.
Groundwork to prepare Thika for city status is already underway, with President Ruto’s administration and the Kiambu County Government partnering to invest over Sh10 billion in infrastructure, water, health, education, trade, sports, and other initiatives necessary for the town’s transformation into a city.