Located along the Thika Superhighway in Ruiru is a futuristic commercial and residential project dubbed Northlands City. The project is associated with the family of retired President Uhuru Kenyatta and is estimated to cost upwards of Ksh500 billion.
The 11,576-acre project is also accessible from the Eastern bypass – it extends from Utawala to Ruiru.
Northlands City will offer commercial spaces, residential areas, schools, and industrial parks. It also has a private airstrip visible through Google satellites at coordinates 1°11’29″S 36°58’42″E and is marked as Northlands Aerodrome and described as a domestic airport.
According to a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) report, the different residential areas within the project would accommodate about 250,000 people.
The city is strategically located between the Nairobi City Centre and the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
Northlands City’s Master Plan reveals that 3,570 acres are designated for housing development. Among these, 3,134 acres are allocated for low-density housing, 306 acres for high-density housing, and 130 acres for medium-density residential housing.
The low-density housing area is set to accommodate 601 villas and 1,320 townhouses. Meanwhile, the medium-density section is reserved for 670 townhouses and 368 housing units in blocks of flats. The high-density residential housing area is projected to house a total of 6,980 units in blocks of flats and approximately 3,100 townhouses.
Furthermore, the master plan specifies that 390 acres have been reserved for a business district, with 33 acres earmarked for a shopping mall or hotel and two acres for a clubhouse.
In addition to housing, the plan sets aside 695 acres for the development of an industrial park. This includes 650 acres for a logistics park and the remaining acreage for Brookside Dairies.
An earlier progress report indicated that the land earmarked for industrial use is now available for sale at Ksh40 million per acre, following substantial investment in infrastructure development by the developer.
The construction work, initiated in October 2018 by Impact – a subsidiary of warehouse builder Improvon (SA) – and growth markets investor Actis, aims to connect the industrial park plots to essential amenities such as roads, water, sewer, electricity, and the internet. Notably, the entire acreage has already been secured with a perimeter wall.
The detailed map of Northland City also highlights that 1,697 acres have been allocated for open recreational space, including 266 acres earmarked for water features.
A significant portion of the land, totalling 5,156 acres, has been designated for wildlife conservation and agriculture, with Gicheha Farm being the primary occupant.
The master plan for Northlands City will be implemented in four phases over a period of 50 years.
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