Industry News
Thika Road Makes Way for Several Big-Dollar Projects
Thika Road completion has also seen several shopping malls being rolled out along the route.
The completion of the Sh32 billion upgrade of Thika Road in September 2012 was a major construction feat as it was done when the road was still in use.
The 50km 8-lane highway that connects Thika to Nairobi was built by three Chinese companies; China Wu Yi, SinoHydro Corporation, and Sheng Li Engineering Co.
The three firms received much commendation from both ordinary citizens and State officials for the quality of their work and the timely delivery of the project.
Thika Road appears to have opened Kenya’s big-dollar project floodgates to China – with tens of Chinese companies currently involved in mega infrastructural projects in East Africa’s largest economy.
China Bridge and Road Construction was, for example, recently chosen as the contractor of the now controversial standard gauge railway line project.
RELATED: Kenyans Hail Expertise of Chinese Contractors
On the other hand, China National Aero-Technology International Engineering Corporation and Anhui Construction Engineering Group have been contracted to build the Greenfield Terminal at the JKIA in Nairobi.
Last year, China Communications Construction Co. won a Sh41 billion tender to construct the first three berths at the port of Lamu. The project begins in June.
More Chinese companies have been contracted by both private developers and government agencies to complete projects ranging from roads, hospitals, and churches to office blocks.
China Wu Yi is, for example, constructing the KCB Plaza in Upper Hill – one of the first buildings that employs green building technology to reduce the demand for water and electricity.
RELATED: Chinese Firms Now Building Mega Churches in Kenya
Analysts say that Chinese firms give competitive prices for projects, which has seen them winning contracts funded by Western financiers and organisations such as the African Development Bank.
Thika Road completion has also seen several shopping malls being rolled out along the route, including Thika Road Mall and the currently underway Garden City Mall – tipped to be the largest mall in East Africa.
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