Ruto, Sakaja in London to Cement UK Partnership for Ksh30B Nairobi Railway City

President William Ruto and Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja joined other officials in a visit to the King's Cross Railway Station in London to bolster the Ksh30 billion Nairobi Railway City (NRC) Project.

In a statement on Wednesday, the governor's office revealed that the visit came after the president held talks with the United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer, which renewed the two nations' partnership to transform Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) through the establishment of the NRC.

"The Nairobi Railway City Project got a big boost after Kenya and the United Kingdom renewed their strategic partnership, setting the momentum for more bilateral trade and investment. This follows a meeting between President William Ruto and Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom in London," part of the statement read.

Later, Nairobi Governor Sakaja Johnson accompanied President Ruto to King's Cross Railway Station, a commuter hub, to learn from the UK's thriving system to deliver the Nairobi Railway City Project."

The establishment of NRC is expected to provide a new transit-oriented economic hub that seeks to boost the city's economic and social development.

Sitting on 425 acres of land within the CBD, the project will modernise Nairobi's Central Station, improve connectivity, and support over two million daily commuters once complete.

The site map shows the project occupying areas in Haile Sellassie Avenue, Uhuru Highway, Landhies Road and Bunyala Road. Areas around the station, including the vast Landis area, areas around the farmers' market and the Muthurwa area, are also expected to get a facelift.

Among the development projects that will feature at NRC include new platforms, a central square, retail space, and green urban zones.

Its establishment is a part of a larger mission to build a safe, clean, and green urban environment where people can move with dignity, live affordably, and access opportunity.

It is also a "key part of Nairobi’s transition into a modern metropolis—designed to serve not only as a functional space for commuters but also as a livable, people-centred urban hub," according to the governor's office.

In November 2022, Kenya Railways announced the UK government would be funding the project through a Public Private Partnership (PPP).

The iconic multi-modal urban development was conceived during former President Uhuru Kenyatta's administration.