Thika residents want town elevated to city status
By Oliver Musembi, April 8, 2026Leaders and residents of Thika, Kiambu County, have unanimously supported a proposal to elevate the municipality to city status.
During a public session conducted by the Senate Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations Committee on April 8, 2026, not a single dissenting opinion was expressed by the more than 2,000 participants over the proposal by Governor Kimani Wamatangi’s administration.
The meeting held at the Mount Kenya University pavilion and chaired by the committee vice-chairperson, Catherine Mumah, was attended by a cross-section of interest groups and local leaders.
Community representatives who included industrialists and businesspeople hailed the initiative, saying the elevation of Thika town to a city would come with an array of benefits for locals and investors.
However, they cautioned that the expected development should be matched by infrastructure and improved service delivery, while also petitioning for non-discrimination of members of the informal sector.
Led by Senator Karungo wa Thang’wah, who is also a member of the senatorial devolution team, the leaders and locals embraced the idea of conferring a city status to Thika town, noting that it is one of the country’s leading industrial hubs.
“Thika was once referred to as the ‘Birmingham of East Africa’ on account of its thriving industries, and we now have a chance to turn this into reality,” stated Thang’wah, adding that he fully supports Wamatangi’s initiative.
The senator also appealed to Kiambu legislators to back the idea, which he said is set to generate more revenue for Kiambu residents at large while at the same time creating jobs and other opportunities.
“I want to be counted among the Kiambu leaders who brought a city to Thika. I am equally appealing to my fellow MPs from Kiambu to support this endeavour,” Thang’wah added.
At the same time, Wamatangi allayed fears that the elevation of Thika to a city would affect small-scale traders and the informal sector, as expressed by area member of the county assembly Kennedy Mwangi.
Thika’s conferment to city status
“We have already constructed 660 modern business sheds around Thika Stadium which are ready for occupation. Additionally, all members of the informal sector will be considered, and there should be no cause for worry,” the Governor reassured.
He was responding to concerns raised by Thika Hospital ward rep Mwangi over the fate of boda boda operators and other informal traders.
Industrialist Bimal Shah, who is the Chairman of Broadway’s Bakeries Group, welcomed the idea, maintaining that it will give Thika and the surrounding regions the impetus to grow economically.
However, he challenged the county leadership to match the new status with service delivery.
Kiambu politics
Thika Town MP Alice Ng’ang’a, who has declared her intention to unseat Wamatangi as governor, was conspicuously absent and did not send any apologies.
The Senate is expected to forward its recommendations on the application to make Thika Kenya’s sixth city to the President for approval.
If the move sails through, then Thika will join the league of Kenyan cities, among them Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret and Nakuru.