The distance from Nairobi CBD to Thika is about 44 kilometres, translating roughly to a 2-hour commute. This means that for a worker currently living in Thika and working in Nairobi, 4 hours of their day are occupied sitting in and walking to and from matatus and buses.
Currently, the only railway route between Nairobi and Thika is along the Nairobi-Nanyuki Train route, which operates on Fridays and Sundays only.
This train costs Ksh.70 from Nairobi to Thika and leaves Nairobi at 9:00 am on Fridays, arriving in Thika at 11:14 am. The return train costs Ksh. 130 from Thika to Nairobi and passes by Thika Railway Station at 2:30 pm on Sunday and arrives at Nairobi Railway Station at 4:46 pm.
Even with the currently available (albeit limited) railway links, the Nairobi-Thika railway journey is longer than two hours.
Read: How Thika Millionaire Robert Muthee Was Reduced To A Hawker
The average 19-kilometre train trip between Syokimau and Nairobi takes about 35 minutes. This allows workers living in Syokimau to comfortably commute to and from their jobs in Nairobi Central without dealing with the notorious Mombasa Road traffic. This also eases the housing burden on Nairobi by making the Central Business District easily and quickly accessible to workers in the satellite town.
The transit time for the 44-kilometre journey between Nairobi and Thika of about 2 hours 15 minutes is equal to most of the trains of Eurostar which connects London and Paris; a 480 kilometre journey.
Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi has recently unveiled plans to transform Thika into a city through infrastructural developments including “a light rail system connecting to Nairobi and the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.”
As a result of these efforts to transform Thika into a city in the recent future, housing development could allow Thika to absorb some of Nairobi’s labour force while transportation development could make the Nairobi-Thika journey a sub-1-hour trip.
The resultant conurbation would be crucial in easing Nairobi’s congestion and aiding in the development of Thika by making it easier for workers, en masse, to live (and spend) in Thika while working in Nairobi.
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