Gated estates uprooting agriculture from Kiambu

By Eric Wainaina

The Coast has always been the home of luxury developments, but Kiambu County is coming in as the destination of choice for multi-million-shilling gated developments.

The county is quickly getting a new facelift as more and more investors set up gated communities in the county, which was once an agricultural zone.

In recent years, investors have invaded the once coffee and tea zone turning the available lands to concrete jungles from palatial estates to mega gated communities.

Many farmers are also now selling off their land to developers with others cutting down their coffee and tea bushes to pave way for the now booming construction business, threatening the area’s economy.

And after exhausting all the available prime land, they have now turned to remote areas, which are experiencing massive developments.

At present, there are three multi-million real estates underway including Tatu City in Ruiru, Migaa in Kiambu and recently launched Buffalo Hills and Golf Village project in remote Kilimambogo Village in Thika.

Upon completion, Tatu City, a multi-million dollar satellite town will be home to an estimated 70,000 residents who will have the opportunity to live, work and play within their community, and is also expected to attract around 30,000 day visitors.

It covers more than 1,000 hectares and will comprise more than 2,000 residential units and approximately 2 million square metres of office, retail, light industrial spaces as well as community facilities including, public service transport interchanges, health facilities and recreational parks.

The project targets to attract residents, companies and retailers who wish to live, work and play in a modern, well-planned urban development in East Africa.

Migaa

Along Kiambu-Kwamaiko Road, one of the areas where developments previously seemed impossibly, Migaa Estate is under construction and will offer a choice of houses, apartments, cottages, villas, duplexes and studios, all with their own unique architecture that makes use of natural materials to complement the surrounding environment.

Migaa is nestled between two rivers, two natural dams and provides the homeowners with a diversity of amenities to enjoy. The unique residential development  incorporates 774 acres of land of which 48 per cent is green open space.

The four-bedroomed budget cottages include generous living spaces, private gardens and parking.

According to information available in its website, Migaa will also offer the first of its kind property exchange, which will allow homeowners to exchange their residences for others in a process that is designed to be simple, effortless and enjoyable.

In the far end of Kilimambogo in Thika, in an area where two years ago, an acre of land was going for Sh300, 000, Buffalo Hills and Golf Village a Sh1.8 billion housing project by Kamuthi Housing Cooperative is ongoing.

The society chairman, Bernard Maina says work on the project has already begun and is expected to be complete in two years time.

Debate

The development borders a major river, and Maina says the presence of a dam and the panoramic view of the Kilimambogo Hill makes the project a masterpiece.

The project, which he says will cover 355 acres, will have 750 homes standing on quarter and half acre pieces of land and golf course on an area of 108 acres.

“Some argue that were are killing the coffee industry, but development is inevitable due to the fast growing populating and shrinking of land. We have received immeasurable support also from the host community right from the political leadership, the local residents and the local security and administrative officers,” says Bernard.

He says opening up development in this previously virgin land in terms of settlement, led to other investors taking up land adjacent to our scheme and replicating our model.

“It’s an area where nobody wanted to invest in, but since we launched our project three months ago, the land value went up by more than 400 per cent, and investors are putting up palatial homes,” he adds.

Investor interest

Bernard says people want serenity, exclusivity and security, hence the dash away from the city centre no matter where, provided there is easy accessibility.

John Mwaniki, the executive of Jekmass Services, a real estate company with interests in Kiambu, said with the construction of Thika Superhighway and the bypasses, most investors have rushed to the areas previously overlooked due to inaccessibility.

“There are no pieces of land in prime areas and if there are, they are very expensive, forcing  the investors to rush to the rural areas and after launching their projects, investors flock there and development becomes inevitable,” says John.

In the recent past, Kiambu has experienced development in real estate among them Eden-Villa, where acres of coffee was brought down to create space for the construction, Fourways Junction and Jacaranda Gardens among others.