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Thika Road makes way for several big-dollar projects

Thika Road completion has also seen several shopping malls being rolled out along the route.

Updated

Thika Road Mall
TRM is one of the several malls that have been built along Thika Road. PHOTO | FILE

The completion of the Sh32 billion upgrade of Thika Road in September 2012 was a major construction feat as it was done when the road was still in use.

The 50km 8-lane highway that connects Thika to Nairobi was built by three Chinese companies; China Wu Yi, SinoHydro Corporation and Sheng Li Engineering Co.

The three firms received much commendation from both ordinary citizens and State officials for the quality of their work and the timeous delivery of the project.

READ: Kenyans hail expertise of Chinese contractors

Thika Road appears to have opened Kenya’s big-dollar project floodgates to China – with tens of Chinese companies currently involved in mega infrastructural project in East Africa’s largest economy.

China Bridge and Road Construction was, for example, recently chosen as the contractor of the now controversial standard gauge railway line project.

On the other hand, China National Aero-Technology International Engineering Corporation and Anhui Construction Engineering Group have been contracted to build the Greenfield Terminal at the JKIA in Nairobi.

Last year, China Communications Construction Co. won a Sh41 billion tender to construct the first three berths at the port of Lamu. The project begins in June.

More Chinese companies have been contracted by both private developers and government agencies to complete projects ranging from roads, hospitals and churches to office blocks.

China Wu Yi is, for example, constructing the KCB Plaza in Upper Hill – one of the first buildings that employs green building technology to reduce demand for water and electricity.

READ: Chinese ‘grab’ church construction projects in Kenya

Analysts say that Chinese firms give competitive prices for projects, which has seen them winning contracts funded by Western financiers and organisations such as the African Development Bank.

Thika Road completion has also seen several shopping malls being rolled out along the route, including Thika Road Mall and the currently under way Garden City Mall – tipped to be the largest mall in East Africa.

Jane Mwangasha is a gifted reporter with a degree in Journalism from the University of Nairobi. Her passion for covering the latest in construction news is backed by years of experience in the industry.