Building under construction part of Ruaka fast growing area on February 4, 2019. [Jenipher Wachie, Standard]

Ruaka has toppled Kiambu to become the town with the most expensive land in the outskirts of Nairobi.

New research by property firm HassConsult has revealed that the rising town has become the hotbed of commercial activity in recent times.

Its land is in high demand with prices shooting by the day.

The data shows that land in Ruaka is now going at an average of Sh89 million per acre compared to Kiambu's Sh39.7 million per acre - with the gap reaching almost Sh50 million above the price of an acre in Kiambu town.

While the price of land in both towns has increased almost four fold in the last ten years, the price of land in Ruaka now rivals several of Nairobi’s expensive suburbs including Karen, Runda, Loresho, Kitisuru and Ridgeways.

Other emerging towns striving for the top spot in recent times include Mlolongo where an acre is going at an average Sh27.8 million. For Ruiru in Kiambu County, an acre is goes for an average Sh25.6 million while land in Tigoni goes for Sh23.9 million per acre.

Limuru and Ongata Rongai are the other main contestants where the price of an acre goes at an average Sh23.2 million.

Juja, Athi River and Kiserian are slowly picking up the pace where an acre is now going at average of Sh14.6 million, Sh13.7 million and Sh7.3 million respectively.

The report is cast against the background that land value in Nairobi’s environs has increased 8.98 fold since December 2007.

“The average value for land has gone from 2.4 million in December 2007 to 21.9 million in September 2020,” noted the report in part.

The research shows that satellite towns like Rongai recorded the highest increase over the third quarter of this year and on an annual basis at 4.71 per cent and 10.3 per cent respectively.

Kiambu town, however, posted the biggest drops both quarterly and annually at 5.2 per

Ruiru commands the largest share of the land market at 15.3 per cent while Thika takes 8.9 per cent, followed by Ngong at eight per cent and Ongata Rongai at 7.7 per cent. Ruaka and Tigoni command the least share at 2.7 and 1.1 per cent respectively.

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