Kenya Railways has commenced the early works construction of Phase 1 of The Nairobi Railway City.

 Kenya Railways Director-General Phillip Mainga said the project, jointly funded by the British government will see the expansive railways land transformed into a world-class city.

“Railways has a lot of lands which over the years has remained unused. With the help of our president, we have mobilized for resources and in the next few years, we will have a modern city similar to those cities abroad,” he said.

The first phase is expected to cost Sh12 billion money which will come from the United Kingdom export finance.

Mainga said that the overall scope of the Phase One early works has commenced with the first work being the construction of a pedestrian footbridge across the Nairobi Railway Yard.

“We have already begun the construction work. The contractor is already on site and soon we will begin seeing changes. The best thing about this project is that it also looks into creating employment for our young people. We expect to have 5,000 young people employed,” he said.

 The multi-billion shilling project that sits on 425-acre land will be constructed through a phased approach.

“This project might take some time before it’s done but in the end, we expect to have one of the best projects ever,” said Mainga.

The Nairobi Railway City construction is divided into phases and is scheduled for completion in 2030.  The objectives of this project are mainly to create a transit hub with multi-modal transport facilities, regenerate the area around the Nairobi Central Station and expand Nairobi to the South East.

It also seeks to provide a livable and sustainable urban space, as well as provide an iconic development to position Nairobi as a leading world city and commercial hub.