Kenyatta family's Northlands City wins big in Sh40 billion plan to build dual carriage bypass

Uhuru’s ranch wins big in Sh40 billion plan to build dual carriage bypass

Tony Mukere

June 18, 2019 10:16 AM

The family is planning to build a mega city in the area

Kenyatta family's Northlands City wins big in Sh40 billion plan to build dual carriage bypass

A ranch owned by President Uhuru Kenyatta’s family has received a major boost after the government approved an interchange that will directly link the property to the Eastern bypass that is set to be upgraded into a dual-carriage highway at a cost of Sh40 billion.

The Kenyatta family has since 2016 conceptualized a plan to built a Sh 500 billion city on their Kahawa Ranch, located on the edge of both the Eastern bypass and Thika Highway.

Dubbed Northlands City, the mega urban development is expected to host at least 250,000 residents (nearly the same population as Kisumu city) with various residential units, recreational areas, an industrial park, and a commercial section.

The huge population expected in the over 11,000-acre city was one of the reasons why the Kenya National Highways Authority (Kenha) allowed a special interchange to connect the city to the highway grid.

Estimates showed that once complete, Northlands will have a traffic of about 30,000 cars per day which will use the Eastern bypass and about 27,000 vehicles using Thika Highway on a daily basis.

The Eastern bypass already has a traffic of about 24,000 vehicles per day – meaning the private city will more than double up traffic in the bypass that connects Thika Highway to Mombasa Road.

The Eastern bypass also strategically connects Northlands with the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).

Northlands had requested a similar interchange to connect it to Thika Highway but the request was denied and planners advised to come up with a single junction into the property.

The ranch where the proposed city will sit currently hosts key Kenyatta family businesses including Brookside Dairy headquarters and and Peponi School.

Tony Mukere