Tatu City is a

special economic zone A special economic zone (SEZ) is an area in which the business and trade laws are different from the rest of the country. SEZs are located within a country's national borders, and their aims include increasing trade balance, employment, increas ...

(SEZ) located North of

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...

in the

Ruiru Ruiru is a municipality and sub-county in Kiambu County. It sits within the greater Nairobi Metropolitan region. According to the 2019 national population census, Ruiru is the 6th largest urban center in Kenya by population.http://housingfinanc ...

Municipality area of

Kiambu County Kiambu County is a county in the former Central Province of Kenya. Its capital is Kiambu and its largest town is Thika. Kiambu County is the second most populous after Nairobi County. Kiambu County borders Nairobi and Kajiado Counties to the So ...

. It sits within the greater Nairobi Metropolitan region and is a flagship project of the

Kenya Vision 2030 Kenya Vision 2030 ( Swahili: ''Ruwaza ya Kenya 2030'') is the country's development programme from 2008 to 2030. It was launched on 10 June 2008 by President Mwai Kibaki. Its objective is to help transform Kenya into a "newly industrializing, m ...

blueprint.

Administration

Tatu City is designated as a project of special importance by the

Government of Kenya , image = , caption = Coat of arms of Kenya , date = 1963 , jurisdiction = Republic of Kenya , url = http://www.mygov.go.ke/ , legislature = Parliament of Kenya , meeting_place = ...

through The Physical Land Use Planning (Classification of Strategic and Inter-county Projects) Regulations of 2019 via the Kenya Gazette Vol.CXXI-No.73 (2019). According to the Kenyan law, projects located within a

Special Economic Zone A special economic zone (SEZ) is an area in which the business and trade laws are different from the rest of the country. SEZs are located within a country's national borders, and their aims include increasing trade balance, employment, increas ...

context benefit from government-issued tax incentives among other benefits.

Project Progress

As of 2022 the Tatu City Zone was home to more than 60 business entities two international schools namely Nova Pioneer and Crawford International. The city was (as of 2022) also home to various completed, ongoing, and proposed housing projects among them Kijani Ridge, Lifestyle Heights, Unity Homes, Karibu Homes, Tatu Waters, and Mchana Estates. Some of the companies with a presence in the Tatu City Industrial Park by 2022 included Dormans, Kenya Wine (KWAL), Uniliver, Copia, Bidco, Davis & Shirtliff, Coopers, Chandaria Industries, Gallagher, Tianlong, and Kim-Fay among others.

History

The land on which Tatu City sits was originally part of the Belgian Socfinaf coffee farm previously known as Tatu Estate before being acquired by Rendeavour in 2010. This is the same case with Northlands City and

Kahawa Kahawa is a suburb settlement spanning the Kiambu County and Nairobi County borders along Thika Road. It is administratively divided into four wards across the two counties: Kahawa and Kahawa West wards in Nairobi county and Kahawa Wendani and Kah ...

Sukari tracts of land also in

which were originally owned by Socfinaf prior to being sold to new owners in the post-colonial era.

Location

Tatu City can be accessed via

Thika Road Thika Thika (pronounced �θika is an industrial town and a major commerce hub in Kiambu County, Kenya, lying on the A2 road 42 kilometres (26 mi) Northeast of Nairobi, near the confluence of the Thika and Chania Rivers. Although Thika town is ...

Nairobi Eastern Bypass Highway The Nairobi Eastern Bypass Highway is a road in Kenya, forming a semi-circle through the south-eastern and north-eastern neighborhoods of the capital city of Nairobi. The road allows traffic from Mombasa, destined for the central parts of Keny ...

, Nairobi Northern Bypass Highway, and the

Kamiti Kamiti Maximum Security Prison is a prison in Nairobi County, Kenya. The prison is within Roysambu Constituency, Kasarani District, bordering Kiambu County. Originally named "Kamiti Downs", it sits in the middle of its own estates which lie fal ...

Road. It is 30 minutes away from the Nairobi CBD, 40 minutes from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, 10 minutes from the Kasarani International Stadium, 5 Minutes from Kamiti Prisons. The city is in close proximity to the Kenya Prisons Staff Training College (PSTC), Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral & Research Hospital (KUTRRH), Kamiti Maximum Security Prisons. It touches the Nairobi County boundary at its southerly-most tip at Kamiti River.

Environment & Parks

Tatu City is located within the relatively green side of Nairobi which is part of the greater

Aberdare Aberdare ( ; cy, Aberdâr) is a town in the Cynon Valley area of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, at the confluence of the Rivers Dare (Dâr) and Cynon. Aberdare has a population of 39,550 (mid-2017 estimate). Aberdare is south-west of Merthyr Tyd ...

Ecosystem. Thirty percent of the land is allocated to green spaces among them nature parks, forests, coffee farms (to preserve the heritage of the place), and public amenities. Mugumo Entryway Tatu City

Controversy

The project was in the middle of a long court battle due to shareholder wars in the period between 2013 and 2018. The matter was a major part of public discourse in the country and even attracted the attention of the Lands Committee of the

National Assembly of Kenya The National Assembly of the Republic of Kenya is one of the two Houses of the Parliament of Kenya. Between 1966 and 2013, it served as a unicameral house. In 2013 ( 11th Parliament), it became the lower house when the Senate was reestablish ...

which then absolved Tatu City of any wrongdoing.

References

{{Reflist Smart cities Proposed populated places Sustainable urban planning Special economic zones Neo-futurism architecture Planned cities Economy of Kenya Kiambu County Nairobi