Kiambu County, through its Development Implementation Coordination Committee (CDICC), has reaffirmed its commitment to Tatu City, the 5,000-acre Special Economic Zone (SEZ) on Nairobi’s doorstep, as it creates thousands of jobs and homes through private sector investment.
CDICC, chaired by County Commissioner Wilson Wanyanga MBS, held a development appraisal tour of Tatu City, where the committee received a progress update of the multi-billion-shilling new city and discussed the alignment of key road, power, water, security, and ICT infrastructure.
The delegation included senior representatives of the Kiambu County government, Kenya Power, Athi Water Works Development Authority, Kenya Police Service, Water Resources Management Authority, National Environment Management Authority, President’s Delivery Unit, Kenya National Highways Authority, Kenya Rural Roads Authority and National Land Commission.
Speaking during the tour, Commissioner Wanyanga commended Tatu City for its contribution to job creation and affordable housing – two pillars of the country’s Big Four Agenda – and catalysing economic development in the county by attracting leading international and local investors. He also noted Tatu City’s multi-year investment in upskilling the local community to take up construction jobs at the mixed-use development.
“We are impressed with the progress we have witnessed at Tatu City, with more than 5,000 jobs created dozens of companies operating and affordable housing completed. Our mandate as government is to support investment, and we view Tatu City as a key partner in the county’s economic growth,” said the commissioner, who directed the government agencies present to focus on ensuring county and national infrastructure integrates seamlessly into the new city’s rapid growth.
Tatu City Chief Operating Officer Preston Mendenhall thanked the commissioner and CDICC for their continued commitment to Tatu City and Rendeavour, Tatu City’s owner and developer. “On behalf of our American, New Zealand, British and Norwegian investors, we commend the Kiambu County and national governments for the conducive investment environment in Kenya. Tatu City is a multi-decade investment that eases the burdens of urbanisation on Nairobi. Our cooperation with government leaders and experts is now in its second decade, and our work is highly complementary,” he said.
Currently at Tatu City SEZ, more than 60 local, regional, and multi-national businesses have opened or started development. These include industry leaders such as Dormans, Cooper K-Brands, Friendship Group, KWAL (Distell), Cold Solutions, Chandaria Industries, Kim-Fay, Davis & Shirtliff, Copia, FFS, Twiga Foods and Stecol, among others. Two schools – Crawford International and Nova Pioneer – educate 3,000 students daily, and more than 3,000 homes are completed or under construction.