The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has announced plans to build a 60-kilometer highway through Thika, Kiambu County, in an effort to make it Kenya’s sixth city.
During a consultative meeting with KeNHA officials on Friday, Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi revealed that the new infrastructure development in Thika would transform the town into an industrial Smart City.
According to Wamatangi, a feasibility study and an environmental and social impact report were completed prior to the project’s start date.
The governor stated that the multimillion-dollar project aimed to reduce congestion and improve mobility in the town.
However, he did not provide the specific date when the project would begin.
“Currently, the team is working on designs, after which public consultations will be conducted before the projects commence,” the governor stated.
Governor Wamatangi also announced the dualling of several highways connecting Thika Town to Nairobi, including the Haile Selassie-Upper Highway and the Upper Road Roundabout-General Kago Road.
Other routes include the Magoko-Kenyatta Avenue Road, the Kenyatta Highway through East Africa Paper Mills, Zero Gravity Distilleries to the A3 Road, and the A2/A3 Junction to Kilimambogo.
“The section of highway from Thika to Kenol Town is set to get an additional lane in both directions, while improvements are proposed for the Blue Post-Gatanga Road,” revealed the Kiambu governor.“
Upgrades are also planned for the Garissa Road-Thika Bypass intersection near BAT Thika, the section of highway near Thika Sports Club and the Delmonte Junction,” he added.
The announcement comes two days after the government announced a Ksh394 billion allocation for the KeNHA Highways Plan.
The state stated that the funds would be used to build, maintain, and expand major highways across the country over the next five years.
In its five-year strategic plan, the Authority intends to spend Ksh192.5 billion on major road improvement projects, including the dualling of the Rironi-Nakuru-Mau Summit highway.
Meanwhile, KeNHA stated that the first phase of the Nairobi-Mombasa Expressway construction had already been approved, with Ksh25 billion set aside in this year’s budget for the project.
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