Former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s family land in Ruiru, Northlands, has been trending for all the wrong reasons since earlier this week.
This is after dozens of ‘unknown assailants’ trickled into the Kenyatta-owned family property and used the scorched-earth policy to do their bidding.
Reports indicate that, armed with machetes and power saws, the group fell trees and burned them all after making away with countless sheep.
Many may not know that Northlands, an 11,576-acre farm just outside Nairobi, is a dream project that President Uhuru Kenyatta and his family have been planning to develop.
Approximately 15km outside Nairobi along the Eastern Bypass, Northlands is currently utilized for livestock grazing and wildlife.
The land is adorned with belts of eucalyptus trees, adding to the scenic view of the area.
It is currently occupied by Brookside Dairy Processing and Gicheha farm, which supplies milk to the factory.
The Kenyatta family’s ambitious real-estate project would comprise residential, industrial and commercial units. The estimated population the units would host is 250,000 individuals.
This would be another feather in the investment cap for the illustrious hierarchy, who have virtually invested in almost all sectors of the Kenyan economy.
They include banking (NCBA), tourism (Heritage Hotels), mining, insurance, airline, education, agriculture, real estate and energy.
Northlands City Planning
According to a report in the Northlands City master plan, the upcoming city is expected to surpass Tatu City despite sharing similarities.
The report, which was submitted to NEMA, states that Northlands City will require double the amount of investment required for Tatu City (Sh. 240 billion).
The city is being constructed as an alternative to Nairobi CBD, which is crowded as is.
“Many of the office buildings within the CBD are not well suited to modern business requirements, and some businesses are now considering moving out of the CBD, or have moved out and have opted for the edge of city centre/suburban locations,” the report indicated.
Northlands City would have access to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and a strategic location near Nairobi CBD.
“Whilst a key focus will be to meet the needs of the emerging middle class, different areas will cater for older couples, families and young professionals.”
“Areas of lower-cost housing will also be provided to meet the needs of low-income earners and prevent the emergence of unplanned slum areas,” the plan states.
1. Northlands Housing Structure
The housing area will be divided into three segments, with 3570 acres allocated for the purpose.
Among these, 3,134 acres have been set aside for low-density housing, while 306 acres have been reserved for high-density housing. 130 acres have been earmarked for medium-density residential housing.
The low-density housing segment will comprise 601 villas and 1,320 townhouses. The medium-density area will feature 670 townhouses and 368 housing units in blocks of flats.
The high-density residential housing area has been designed to accommodate a total of 6,980 units in blocks of flats and approximately 3,100 townhouses.
2. Northlands Business District
Northlands Business District is strategically situated near Kenyatta University and the Thika Superhighway.
It will cover an area of 390 acres, with 33 acres designated for a mall or hotel and 2 acres for a clubhouse.
3. Northlands Industrial and Logistics Park
Planners have set aside 695 acres of land to construct an industrial park. 650 acres have also been designated for a logistics park.
Brookside dairies will occupy 65 acres, while 1697 acres will be utilized for open recreational space. 266 acres will be equipped with water features.
4. Northlands wildlife conservation, Gicheha farm
Most of the land, amounting to 5156 acres, has been reserved for agriculture and wildlife conservation. Gicheha Farm is the primary occupant of this section.
The implementation of the Northlands City master plan is divided into four phases, which will take a total of 50 years to complete.