The Nairobi Metropolitan Mass Rapid Transit System (NMRTS) has taken a major step toward implementation after the Nairobi City County Executive Committee approved the ambitious transport project, with the National Government also moving to fast-track its rollout.
Speaking before the Senate Standing Committee on National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja said the project will introduce Nairobi’s first underground metro line and fundamentally transform urban mobility while addressing the city’s persistent traffic congestion.
“The first ever underground metro system in Nairobi was approved by my cabinet. The NMRTS is the ultimate solution to congestion in the city,” Sakaja told senators.
He said world-class public transport systems have enabled cities across the globe to reduce dependence on private vehicles.
“When you travel around the world, you wonder where all the people are- they are underground, travelling. I have friends who are billionaires in other cities, yet they don’t use their private vehicles. They use public transport because, when such systems are well designed, they are reliable, punctual and convenient,” he said.
Sakaja noted that Nairobi is finally moving to implement a transport vision first proposed more than eight decades ag
“This system is 80 years overdue. In 1948, city planners proposed a ring railway and CBD rail links. In 1972, the Nairobi City Study Group recommended an integrated mass transit system linking rail, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and Non-Motorised Transport (NMT). In 2014, the Nairobi Integrated Urban Development Master Plan made similar recommendations, but none of them were implemented,” he said.
The governor said the county government has spent the last three years working closely with the Executive Office of the President to develop a comprehensive implementation blueprint for the first phase of the project.
According to Sakaja, the entire NMRTS programme is projected to cost approximately USD 7.78 billion, with funding expected from a mix of government financing, pension funds and Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) investments.
He revealed that key feasibility studies have already been completed with support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Chinese experts, clearing the way for implementation.
“We are now setting up the Project Management Unit. The studies have been completed. We have already demonstrated that underground infrastructure is possible, as was done at the Haile Selassie-Uhuru Highway junction. Mass transit is now a reality,” he said.
Sakaja welcomed the National Government’s support, saying the project has entered its next implementation phase following county approval.
He disclosed that Dr. Silvester Kasuku, Advisor on Governance in the Executive Office of the President, has already briefed Transport Principal Secretary Mohammed Daghar and Roads Principal Secretary Eng. Joseph Mbugua ahead of the project’s submission to the National Government Cabinet.
The governor said the metro system will significantly improve mobility for residents and visitors while strengthening Nairobi’s competitiveness as a regional commercial hub.
“We cannot continue welcoming international investors and visitors only for them to spend two hours stuck in traffic. We will turn Nairobi into a 20-minute city, where you can get anywhere within 20 minutes,” he said.
Under the first phase, the metro line will connect Nairobi’s Central Business District to Eastlands, with underground sections extending to Westlands and Upper Hill.
The second phase will expand the network along Ngong Road and Lang’ata Road, creating a comprehensive rapid transit network linking metro rail, commuter rail, Bus Rapid Transit and non-motorised transport.
Sakaja said the project is also expected to stimulate economic growth through increased land values around transit stations, Transit-Oriented Development and private sector investment.
“We already have the vision, the implementation plan and the locations of the stations. Land values around these stations will rise significantly. We have developed the legislative framework outlining what the County Assembly, the National Government and private investors each need to do to make this project a success,” he said.
Once completed, the Nairobi Metropolitan Mass Rapid Transit System is expected to become one of the largest transport infrastructure projects in Kenya’s history, integrating multiple modes of public transport into a single modern network while easing congestion and supporting sustainable urban growth.
