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Kenya Seeks Investors for Nairobi Railway City

The investors are required to complete the project over a maximum of six years.

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Nairobi Railway City.
An artist’s impression of Nairobi Railway City. PHOTO | COURTESY

Kenya Railways is seeking investors to develop a multi-billion-shilling railway city in Nairobi as it seeks to harness the potential of its prime piece of land that is currently sitting idle.

The “Railway City” will be built on a sprawling 63-hectare land owned by Kenya Railways (KR) that is located between Haile Sellasie Avenue, Uhuru Highway, and Bunyara Road.

CK has learnt that successful bidders will lease the land on a renewable 60-year term and they will be required to commence development within a year of the grant of the lease.

The investors are required to complete the project over a maximum of six years from the grant of the lease. They are also required to ensure that the golf course remains operational with minimal closures to undertake improvements.

The proposed Nairobi railway city development has attracted worldwide interest, with American real estate tycoon Donald Trump being among 43 other interested parties; including TPS Serena, Commercial Bank of Africa, and Spencon International.

RELATED: Donald Trump Declares Interest in Nairobi Golf City

The project will see the construction of a 5-star hotel, a modern 4-star hotel with state-of-the-art conference facilities, exclusive cottages, an international quality 9-hole golf course, and a huge shopping mall with sufficient parking lots.

It is part of Kenya Railways’ measures to harness the potential of its large real estate portfolio in a bid to enhance the long-term financial sustainability of the state corporation.

Sources familiar with the matter say that the state corporation expects to earn about Sh1 billion annually in land leases.

Kenya Railways joins a growing list of institutions making a foray into the thriving real estate market. Others include the NSSF, NHC, Centum Investment, Britam, and CIC insurance.

Danson Kagai is a skilled architect with a degree from the University of Nairobi. He has a wealth of experience in covering mega projects in Kenya, and is passionate about the built environment.