Nairobi City County has unlocked a Sh1 trillion transport project that will see the construction of the capital’s first underground railway linking the Central Business District (CBD) to Eastlands before expanding to Westlands, Upper Hill, Ngong Road and Lang'ata under a multi-phase mass transit system that promises to reshape movement across the capital.

The ambitious Nairobi Metropolitan Mass Rapid Transit System (NMRTS), estimated to cost USD 7.78 billion (about Sh1 trillion), has moved from decades of planning to implementation after receiving approval from the Nairobi City County Executive Committee this week, with the National Government now fast-tracking the next phase of approvals.

The Nairobi City Skyline — A view of the Nairobi city skyline. Urbanisation changes the levels and speed with the economic development.

Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation Media Group

The project will be financed through a combination of government funding, pension funds and private investment under a Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) model, marking one of the largest infrastructure financing programmes ever undertaken by a county government.

According to the implementation blueprint, Phase One will connect the CBD to Eastlands through an underground metro line while extending to Westlands and Upper Hill.

Phase Two of the project will expand the network along Ngong Road and Lang'ata Road, integrating it with Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), commuter rail services and non-motorised transport into a single public transport network.

Appearing before the Senate Standing Committee on National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations on Thursday, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja said the project would provide a permanent solution to Nairobi's crippling traffic congestion while transforming the city into a "20-minute city."

"The first-ever underground metro system in Nairobi was approved by my Cabinet. The NMRTS is the ultimate solution to congestion in the city," Mr Sakaja told senators.

Mr Sakaja also said the county had completed all key feasibility studies with support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Chinese experts, removing one of the biggest hurdles that had stalled previous attempts to develop a modern metro system.

"We are now setting up the Project Management Unit. The studies have been completed. We have already demonstrated that underground infrastructure is possible, as was done at the Haile Selassie-Uhuru Highway junction. Mass transit is now a reality," Mr Sakaja said.

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja at his office in Nairobi.

Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group

He argued that the metro would not only reduce congestion but also improve Nairobi's competitiveness as a regional commercial hub by significantly cutting travel times for residents, investors and visitors.

"We cannot continue welcoming international investors and visitors only for them to spend two hours stuck in traffic. We will turn Nairobi into a 20-minute city, where you can get anywhere within 20 minutes," he said.

The county government has said that, unlike conventional infrastructure projects funded almost entirely through public borrowing, Nairobi plans to finance the metro using multiple funding streams.

Besides government financing, the county intends to tap pension funds and attract private investment through Transit-Oriented Development, a model in which commercial and residential developments around metro stations help finance construction while generating long-term revenue.

Mr Sakaja said the county had already developed the legal and institutional framework required to support the financing model.

"We already have the vision, the implementation plan and the locations of the stations. Land values around these stations will rise significantly. We have developed the legislative framework outlining what the County Assembly, the National Government and private investors each need to do to make this project a success," he said.

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja.

Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group

The county's approval now moves the project from concept to implementation after more than eight decades of planning. The next stage involves the establishment of a Project Management Unit before the proposal is submitted to the National Government Cabinet for approval, paving the way for construction.

Timelines

The exact construction timeline and station locations have yet to be announced, but the scale of the project means implementation is expected to take several years and will be undertaken in phases.

The transport network is expected to stimulate billions of shillings in private investment as businesses, offices, shopping centres and residential developments emerge around the planned stations, mirroring transit-led urban development seen in major global cities.

The idea dates back to 1948, when colonial planners proposed a ring railway around Nairobi and rail connections into the CBD.

The proposal resurfaced in 1972, when the Nairobi City Study Group recommended an integrated transport system combining rail, buses and non-motorised transport. More recently, the 2014 Nairobi Integrated Urban Development Master Plan again identified a metro network as essential for the city's future growth.

None of the proposals progressed beyond the planning stage. Over the last three years, however, the county government says it has worked jointly with the Executive Office of the President to develop a detailed implementation blueprint, culminating in this week's county cabinet approval.

The National Government has already begun preparations for the next stage. A day after the county cabinet endorsed the project, Dr Silvester Kasuku, Advisor on Governance in the Executive Office of the President, held separate meetings with Transport Principal Secretary Mohammed Daghar and Roads Principal Secretary Joseph Mbugua to brief them on the project ahead of its consideration by the National Government Cabinet.

If implemented, the NMRTS would become Nairobi's most significant transport infrastructure investment since independence, replacing decades of piecemeal road expansion with an integrated rail-based system designed to carry hundreds of thousands of commuters daily while reshaping urban development across the capital.

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jmoturi@ke.nationmedia.com