Virtual Trips Kenya: November 2014

Kitengela

Kitengela is a little but thriving town situated about 30 kilometres south and west of Nairobi, on the highway to Kajiado and Namanga. Located in the Kapiti plains, the dusty town is part of the Kajiado East constituency in Kajiado county.

For a long time Kitengela was just a weekend getaway spot for Nairobi city residents. The numerous hotels and restaurants here made it the ideal destination for those wanting to indulge in nyama choma. In the last ten years, though, the town has rapidly transformed into a robust urban centre.

The central business district of Kitengela has become very congested. Every morning and evening, quite surprisingly, there is a traffic jam. The older residential estates of New Valley, Milimani, Upper Hill, and Noonkopir have continued growing rapidly. In addition, there are a number of newer residential areas coming up, particularly around the Yukos Service Station area. Beautifully planned residential developments such as the New World Gardens are also coming up.

The number of hotels and restaurants in Kitengela has increased. Nomad Hotel, which has been in existence for a while, is still thriving at the heart of the town. Other hotels that have come up lately include Esidai County Hotel, Grey's Oak Hotel, Kaputiei Safariland Hotel, and the Yukos Service Station Restaurant. Two notable clubs in the area are Club 360 and Club 411.

The educational sector is well represented by schools such as the Kitengela International Schools, Acacia School, and the Ideal School. A number of colleges are to be found here such as the Kenya College of Accountancy (KCA), Riccati Business School, and the East African University.

Kitengela hosts more than ten financial institutions. Among them are the Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB), Co-Operative Bank, Equity Bank, Consolidated Bank, National Bank, Post Bank, Faulu Microfinance, Musoni Microfinance, and Kenya Women Finance Trust (KWFT), among others. The financial space in the town, quite clearly, is heavily contested.

Kitengela is quite cosmopolitan. The dominant ethnic groups here are the Kamba and the Kikuyu, but the Kisii and Luhya are also to be found in fair numbers. The Maasai, who are indigenous to the area, are to be found more in the manyattas in the outlying areas of the town. They will only come to the town to deliver milk supplies to hotels, and animals to the slaughter house. They will also be seen selling beaded jewellery and traditional artifacts.

Due to its rapid growth, Kitengela is expanding along Namanga Road, in the direction of Isinya. Land prices are escalating with this growth of the urban centre. A quarter of an acre is going for more than Kshs. 4 million in the town. In spite of this, the construction industry is booming here. After Syokimau and Ongata Rongai, interested home buyers and builders are now turning to Kitengela for settlement.

We will keep an eye on the place and inform of any new developments.