Construction of the sh. 1.6 trillion Machakos city to be complete in two years.

The aerial view of the architectural design of the proposed Machakos city.

Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua says that plans for the construction of the new Machakos city was back on track, after it stalled some months ago due to litigation.

If it goes as planned, the new city will be a reality in the next two years, complete with industries and even a formula One track, the only one of its kind on this part of the world.

Speaking during a live interview on television, the governor said that this marked the beginning of an ambitious initiative that will give the county a new socio-economic face in the next five years as the governor aims at introducing a modern metropolis to be set on an initial 2,200 acres about three kilometres from Machakos Town.

“We secured investments worth 1.6 trillion for the project three years ago but it was shelved after the then senator, Johnson Muthama moved to court to block the project and in the process scared away investors,” explained the governor. 

The governor said the proposed city would feature bold, smart buildings that capture the modern trends in a well-planned landscape.

The future of the metropolis is already taking shape in form of a recreational park and an Amphitheatre. He described the Amphitheatre as the only one in Africa with a capacity to host more than 5,000 people for concerts and performances.

“The city will be networked with adequate CCTV coverage and emergency and rescue services. We also have plans for well-zoned housing complexes and an eight-kilometre track for Formula One car racing. The green park at the proposed site will feature, among others, a miniature golf and a children’s entertainment park,” he said.

Buoyed by his recent court victory over a petition lodged by Wavinya Ndeti, Mutua said he had now firmly set his sights for the presidency in 2022 under the umbrella of his Maendeleo Chap Chap Party. He added that, upon completion, the city will create thousands of jobs and economic opportunities for the people.

Mutua noted that he had accomplished about ninety percent of the pledges he made to the electorate in 2013 with water provision topping among his priorities.

“We have sunk 350 boreholes in the past five years and now every location in Machakos has at least two boreholes. The rural folk do not have to travel long distances to access clean and safe water,” he said.

“We have also distributed 10,000 liter water tanks to all primary schools in the county for water harvesting within the same period,” he added. 

On infrastructure, Mutua said that Machakos County scored a first by tarmacking 33 kilometers linking Mwala and Yatta sub-counties in a record three months. 

“I was not re-elected because of my looks but on the premise of my development record,” the governor quipped. 

During the same period, he said, Machakos level 5 hospital was expanded and renovated along with several other health centers and dispensaries in the entire county. He added that he had also acquired ambulances for all the forty locations which have gone a long way in saving lives. 

In order to improve food security in the area, Mutua said that his government procured 40 tractors that have been offering free ploughing services to farmers. 

The governor added that his government was now supplying free seeds and subsidised fertilizer to farmers, boosting food production and ending dependency on relief food.