Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi has renewed his push for Thika town to become the sixth city in the country.
The governor, while leading the quest for one of Kenya’s biggest industrial towns to be made Kenya’s sixth city, oversaw the submission of a city charter and ad hoc committee report to the county assembly of Kiambu for approval.
Wamatangi noted that Thika’s upheaval to city status would boost infrastructure and create up to 50,000 jobs for its residents.
If the county assembly approves the charter and report, it will then be forwarded to the Senate before it reaches President William Ruto. This is only subject to approval by the Senate.
The committee, chaired by former Nominated Senator Slyvia Kasanga under Wamatangi’s supervision, hopes to leverage Thika’s long-standing position as an industrial city since the days of independence.
According to Kasanga, the committee’s findings aligned with Wamatangi’s resolve to ensure Thika gets city status.
"Our findings, therefore, mwananchi, confirm that Thika municipality meets the criteria for city status as outlined in the Urban and Cities Act of 2011, amended in 2019,” stated Kasanga.
In Kenya, the process of a town becoming a city is governed by the Urban Areas and Cities Act (2011, revised 2019) and involves several legal and administrative steps.
For a town to get city status, it needs to meet a five-point eligibility criteria. Firstly, it needs to have a population of at least 250,000 residents. Further, the town needs to have adequate infrastructure, including roads, sewerage systems, and public utilities.
Thirdly, the town needs a robust governance structure and financial stability. Penultimately, the town must have essential social services such as education, healthcare, and recreational facilities.
Finally, the town or municipality must demonstrate a functional and sustainable revenue collection system.
So far, Kenya has five cities; Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, and Eldoret. Ruto recently conferred Eldoret city status on August 15, 2024.
