Kenya Railways decended on about 400 families living ‘illegally’ within Muthurwa market, in a fresh spring of demolitions geared towards establishing land for a futuristic city development.
The demolitions came after the lapse of a 24-hour notice by the Kenya Railways Staff Retirement Benefits Scheme.
“Be warned that this land belongs to the Kenya Railways Staff Retirement Benefits Scheme, and we have no tenancy agreement with any occupants in the area. We shall take no responsibility for any loss incurred at the expiry of the time allocated,” the notice reads in part.
The Nairobi Railway City is an iconic multi-modal urban development to be situated within the 200-acre prime property that currently serves as the Nairobi Railway Station.
The project, expected to cost Ksh. 28 Billion, is one of the priority undertakings embodied under the Nairobi Integrated Urban Development Plan (NIUPLAN) as a strategy for the expansion of Nairobi’s Central Business District.
The proposed linkages across the existing rail tracks will increase access to the current CBD and promote the continuation of the city fabric towards the south.
Wakulima Market land will be turned into a park, while the coffee mill at KPCU, rehabilitated into a ‘Kenyan Coffee Center’.
The plan includes the building of a new railway station that allows for the integration of BRT and other public transport modes.
President Uhuru Kenyatta toured the Nairobi Railway station, to inspect the rehabilitations that seek to expand the railway transport network.
The developments come in the wake of the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) plans to decongest the city through expanding bus termini, reclamation of public land, and booting public servicew vehicles from the city center.
25 Diesel train units acquired from Spain are said to be set up within the coming weeks, while Bus Rapid Transport units will be delivered in November 2020.
