Is Machakos City a dream built on quicksand?

An artist’s impression of Machakos City.

Machakos County: In 1895, the British government had a dream. Using taxpayers’ money, an idea was hatched to build a railway line from the Kenyan coast up to Lake Victoria to open up the region’s interior and prove the colonial power’s ability over her European rivals. The proposal was met with the following words of derision:

What it will cost no words can express; What is its object no brain can suppose; Where it will start from no one can guess; Where it is going to nobody knows; What is the use of it none can conjecture; What it will carry there’s none can define... And in spite of George Curzon’s superior lecture, it clearly is naught but a lunatic line.

The colonial powers ignored the many naysayers and constructed the railway.

Like the British, Dr Alfred Mutua, the Governor of Machakos County has a dream. Mutua wants to build a city from scratch, a feat not attempted by many in modern history.

Many are interpreting Mutua’s dream differently. But, to borrow the words of our very own Lupita Nyong’o, we ask: How valid are Mutua’s dreams?

The governor knows too well the enormity of his proposal. “I am a dreamer,” he said last year. “However, I know that, as someone once said, if you want your dreams to come true, you must first wake up.”

But then, Mutua has several times run where few dare to tread — with a measure of success.

The proposed Machakos City will be situated around Maruba Dam and will be part of a parcel of land measuring more than 2,000 acres. As an incentive, Mutua promises to make such land available to potential investors on a leasehold basis.

The envisaged city will consist of a Central Business District with government offices, a green open area for parks, community amenities such as educational centres, and a mix of low, medium and high-density residential areas.

There will be a section set aside for a full-fledged sports city, tourism and stadiums with a capacity to host major international games.

Many accolades have followed the governor’s plans to the chagrin of some of his colleagues who feel his “high flying” status is making them look bad in the eyes of the electorate.

Last November, President Uhuru Kenyatta launched the city, paying glowing tribute to the governor.

“Let me take this early opportunity to commend Dr Alfred Mutua for coming up with this noble idea. I encourage the other county governors to borrow a leaf from Machakos County and focus on economic development,” said the President. “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

Proponents of the dream say urban development is the future of the current world. According to former chair of Kenya Institute of Planners, Bosire Ogero, urban areas are the focal points of development since “our rural areas have no more employment opportunities.”

He says there is nothing wrong with Mutua’s dream if it is well thought out and properly packaged since the key to any city’s survival is the long-term sustainability.

He adds that any city must make economic sense, citing the example of Sandton City in South Africa that has taken the pressure off Johannesburg. 

According to Ogero, the “Asian Tigers”, countries that were economically at par with Kenya during independence, have realised quick growth due to their rapid urban development.

“Mutua is a leader and any leader must have a vision. However, he will need the input of experts within the wider economic spectrum to actualise the dream,” says Ogero.

Economic growth

Paul Wambua, Chairman of the Institution of Surveyors of Kenya (ISK), says each county has a policy on how to spur economic growth and Machakos is no exception. The county, says Wambua, has much land that has not been put to good economic use for ages.

“Take a drive between Machakos turn-off and Machakos town itself and all you see is a large stretch of land with nothing in it. That is a vehicle for investment that can turn around the economy of the county,” says Wambua.

He adds that land is the main factor of production in Kenya and the “county has taken care of this matter” by providing land for investment.

From the artist’s impression, the picture of Machakos City looks very rosy. But not everyone approves of the idea.

Dr Wilberforce Oundo, a director at Roack Consultant Ltd, a Nairobi-based real estate consultancy firm, begs to differ with those painting the new city as the solution to the problems facing the people of Machakos. He gives factors that must be right for any city in the world to make economic sense.

He says cities are planned over a period of time, taking into account the economic and socio-political activities of any given region. In addition, cities can also grow spontaneously as a result of certain geographical features such as good communication network, including roads, a railway line or major rivers.

Nairobi, he says, is one such example where all factors worked in harmony to create a capital city “that incidentally was meant to be in Machakos.” 

Dr Oundo says a city must make economic sense not only to the people of the region but also to investors and the country in general.

“With the Kenyan economy growing at a rate of five per cent, we do not have many businesses expanding outside Nairobi. Anyone looking for office space can still find affordable space in Nairobi’s city centre and may not see the need to move to Machakos. For Mutua’s dream to be realised, the whole economy must be expanding at an annual rate of ten per cent,” he says.

The high rate of loan defaulters, he adds, points to a scenario where many investors will shy away from borrowing to expand their businesses in virgin grounds such as Machakos.

“We are living in the ICT era where the traditional, large office spaces are no longer needed. Today’s businesses need a much smaller space but from the images we have seen, the new city in Machakos may be ten times our city centre,” adds Dr Oundo.

He says there is the danger of pegging such massive investments on one parameter such as availability of land, adding that a number of cities around the world have died due to such miscalculations.

“Some cities in Europe such as Manchester and Birmingham were anchored on industrialisation. However, they have had to undergo some form of urban renewal to remain relevant in the current system of urbanisation,” he says.

Many have also queried the rationale behind setting up a city of that magnitude just a few kilometres away from the government-backed Konza Techno City, especially after Lands Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu asserted that Konza is in Machakos County.

However, Wambua of ISK says the two cities will play complementary roles, with Machakos city providing social services, including houses to accommodate those in Konza.

Only time will tell whether Mutua’s dream will remain just that or will see the light of day.