Entrance to Nairobi's historic railway station (file). Photo: Michael Branz via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Listen to this article2 min listenAI voice
Tap play to hear this story
You are listening to Kibra News Network.
Nairobi’s 80-year metro dream nears reality, Sakaja says.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja says the city's long-delayed underground metro plan is finally moving from paper to construction, almost 80 years after it was first proposed.
Sakaja made the announcement while launching a new podcast, "Nairobi, Let's Talk," saying the Nairobi Metropolitan Mass Rapid Transit System had been approved by the county's executive committee and endorsed by President William Ruto in July. "This system is 80 years overdue," he said, referring to metro proposals dating back to 1948.
Phase one covers a 30-kilometre underground railway with 25 stations linking Eastlands to the central business district. The full programme is estimated at $7.78 billion (roughly Sh1 trillion), to be funded through a mix of government money, pension funds and transit-oriented development investment.
What it means for commuters
County officials say the goal is a "20-minute city," where residents can reach most destinations within 20 minutes, cutting the long commutes many Nairobians currently endure by matatu or private car. The metro is meant to work alongside existing routes rather than replace them outright.
No construction start date has been given, and earlier metro plans for Nairobi have stalled for decades.
This story was put together by K N N from material first published by The Star.
That was a Kibra News Network report, read by an A I voice.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja says the city’s long-delayed underground metro plan is finally moving from paper to construction, almost 80 years after it was first proposed.
Sakaja made the announcement while launching a new podcast, “Nairobi, Let’s Talk,” saying the Nairobi Metropolitan Mass Rapid Transit System had been approved by the county’s executive committee and endorsed by President William Ruto in July. “This system is 80 years overdue,” he said, referring to metro proposals dating back to 1948.
Phase one covers a 30-kilometre underground railway with 25 stations linking Eastlands to the central business district. The full programme is estimated at $7.78 billion (roughly Sh1 trillion), to be funded through a mix of government money, pension funds and transit-oriented development investment.
What it means for commuters
County officials say the goal is a “20-minute city,” where residents can reach most destinations within 20 minutes, cutting the long commutes many Nairobians currently endure by matatu or private car. The metro is meant to work alongside existing routes rather than replace them outright.
No construction start date has been given, and earlier metro plans for Nairobi have stalled for decades.
KNN Newsroom is the staff byline for stories written, rewritten and edited at the Kibra News Network desk. Where a story credits an outside outlet, the original source is linked at the foot of the piece.
