Plans to make Thika a model city already complete

Kiambu Governor James Nyoro

Kiambu County Government has completed spatial plans to make Thika Municipality the model city within Kiambu town.

This was revealed by Governor James Nyoro in an exclusive interview where he said that they had already engaged a consultant who had developed a 50-year spatial plan for the industrial town.

"The 50-year (spatial) plan for Thika town is already complete.However, this will first involve a 10-year plan. In the next 2 years, we want to make this town a model city within Kiambu with all the major infrastructure in place," explained the governor.

Nyoro said that the plans involved the expansion of the road network within and around the town, installation of street lighting as well as traffic lights and expansion of the water and sewerage network within the estates.

"We have already started resurfacing works for Kenyatta Highway that will go up to the Stadium roundabout, then Huduma Centre and to the KRA roundabout. We will also use the Sh. 157 million from the World Bank to light up the CBD streets," he said.

This project, combined with the Sh. 1.8 billion project being undertaken by the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) on all link roads within the CBD, will see Thika get a very smooth road network.

"The president (Uhuru Kenyatta) promised us 4km of road into Juja Farm and we as a county government will push this road up to Mastoo area. Eventually, plans are that this road will link up with Thika-Garissa Highway at Muguga in Gatuanyaga through Ndarugu, Athi, Komo and Githima, thus opening up this area and decongesting Thika Road," he added.

Nyoro said that they were also in the process of filling up the missing board members at THIWASCO to enable the company embark on its water and sewerage expansion plans.

"The company, through assistance from DANIDA and the World Bank, plans to increase its water supply capacity from the current 32m³ to 52m³," explained the governor.

The expansion will benefit Ngoingwa, Kisii, Landless and other estates within THIWASCO coverage areas with more water and sewerage connection.

The governor said Gatuanyaga and Ngoliba would also get more water through the sinking of boreholes as well as water drawn from Thika river.

25 percentage back

Nyoro also promised residents living within quarry mining areas that his government will henceforth inject back 25% of the revenue collected from these quarries to assist in development projects. Areas poised to benefit from this arrangement include Ndarugu, Witeithie, Komo, Githima and Bob Harris that host the bulk of these quarries.

He also said that the county government had set aside Sh. 60 million for street lighting programme across the county.

"In our supplementary budget this year, we have set aside Sh. 60 million for our street lighting programme. This will be boosted by another Sh. 60 million from the Rural Electrification Authority (REA), enabling us to install 50 street lights in every ward."

Thika Municipality which includes Juja Sub-County will also benefit from road, water and sewerage connection at Theta, Juja town, Kalimoni and Witeithie.

The county also plans to put up another hospital in Juja very soon.