Three years into President William Ruto’s administration, Mombasa, once considered an opposition bastion, has emerged as one of the biggest beneficiaries of mega infrastructure projects that are reshaping its economy, skyline, and future.
As the Kenya Kwanza government marks three years in office, President William Ruto has fulfilled his pledge to equitably deliver development across the country, with Mombasa standing out as a key focus of investment.
One of his first moves after ascension to the house on the hill was to revert port operations to Mombasa from Nairobi and Naivasha, a decision that ended four years of hue and cry for residents and stakeholders.
Since then, the government has launched a string of capital-intensive projects to position the port city as a regional economic powerhouse.
Speaking during a project inspection visit by the Mombasa County Implementation Coordination and Management Committee (NGD-CICMC), County Commissioner (CC) Mohammed Noor said the government has rolled out capital-intensive projects in Mombasa, and the port city is the biggest beneficiary of the administration development agenda.
Among the flagship projects is the 13.5-kilometre Mombasa–Mtwapa road, funded at Sh7.5 billion by the African Development Bank, the European Union, and the Kenyan government. The National Treasury recently released Sh3.16 billion for compensation of affected persons, paving the way for the resumption of works expected to boost trade, tourism, and regional connectivity.
“We thank the government for investing heavily in Mombasa, as the second biggest city in Kenya and the tourism hub. The government has ensured that the youth are not left behind. If you look at the housing project, it is employing over 2000 youths,” he said.
In the manufacturing sector, the Sh461 million County Aggregation and Industrial Park (CAIP) is 35 percent complete, with the national government having already released Sh106 million.
Once finished, the project will feature aggregation and cold storage warehouses, value addition facilities, and is projected to create thousands of jobs while boosting agro-industrial competitiveness.
“We expect the County Government now to contribute because it was a 50:50 budget basis, national and county governments. The County government should also contribute their share of the project,” said the CC, also the Chairman of NGD-CICMC.
“Once this project is finished, it will be a life-changing project that will contribute a lot to the economy of Mombasa County. It will be an industrial park for exporting value-added goods through the Port.”
He further termed the project a game-changer as it will create thousands of jobs for the youth. The CC disclosed that they will engage the County Government to release their contribution to the project for the residents to derive economic benefits.
The NGD-CICMC also visited the Sh7B Nyali Affordable Housing, where 2000 housing units are under construction. The project is 22 per cent complete and is the largest low-cost housing project in the coastal region, and is progressing well. It has created 2000 jobs for the local youth.
The one-of-a-kind Multi-Use Development project is located on a 23-acre of land in the upmarket Nyali suburb. It entails the construction of 14 residential blocks consisting of studio apartments, two-bedroom units, and three-bedroom units.
The project is poised to address the housing deficit in the tourist city of Mombasa. The 14 towering blocks will completely redefine the skyline of the area into a vertical city hub. At ground level, landscaped courtyards and pedestrian walkways will knit the blocks together.
In addition to the housing component, it has an Early Childhood Development institution, Primary, Junior Secondary schools, a market with 1000 stalls, a commercial building, a community centre, a club clubhouse and a wastewater treatment plant.
The CC stated that the government has already paid the contractor Sh1.2B, and the project units are on sale on the Boma Yangu Platform.
“We request Coastal people to go to the Boma Yangu Platform and register. If you’ve not registered on Boma Yangu, don’t cry foul tomorrow that you’ve not been allocated a low-cost house. You have to join that system to get a house,” said the CC.
The government is also advancing the Sh175 million Kidongo Fish Landing Site in Kisauni Sub-County, which includes modern storage facilities to reduce post-harvest losses and uplift the livelihoods of local fisherfolk as part of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.
“Now that the government will build a storage facility, fish will not rot, and it will stay for a long period as they wait for the market. Let’s ensure it is well managed once finished to benefit from the blue economy,” he added.
By Sadik Hassan
