kitengela Town

 Kitengela town is located in Kajiado County just 30 kilometres south of Nairobi. The town is part of the Nairobi Metropolitan Area. Kitengela has an urban population of about 30,000.

Kitengela began as The Kitengela group ranch, made up of 18,292 ha and 214 registered members which were subdivided in 1988 in efforts by the Government to encourage private land ownership in pastoral systems, to intensify and commercialize livestock production.

After the subdivision of the group ranch, land fragmentation and sales have continued at a steady and escalating pace.

Kitengela is close to Athi River town in Machakos County in the former Eastern Province, while Kitengela belongs to Kajiado County in the former Rift Valley Province. Kitengela is growing quickly and is expanding with residential houses.

Close to Nairobi National Park is also the Kitengela Game Conservation Area populated with buffalo, Masai giraffe, eastern black rhino, Common eland, impala, Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelle, common waterbuck and Defassa waterbuck, hippopotamus, common warthog, olive baboon, monkeys and the attendant carnivores – lion, spotted hyena, cheetah, side-striped and black-backed jackals, African golden wolves, bat-eared fox and smaller carnivores.

The diversity of species is decreasing in the Kitengela area adjacent to the Nairobi National Park, where land uses not compatible with wildlife are increasing.

Kitengela town is largely a residential town as opposed to an industrial town although the town is in immediate proximity to the export processing zone authority (EPZA) that has over 50,000 workers who work at the many companies located in the zone.

The presence of the EPZA occasioned a subsequent and exponential high demand for residential quarters, with time, education institutions sprang up and with them worship centres, and entertainment locations.

Consequently, many more industries were established in Kitengela town as other landowners set up huge flower farms and planted flowers for export considering that the Jomo Kenyatta international airport is just about 20 kilometres from Kitengela town.

Three of the most dominant flower farms with a big number of employees are Saitoti flower farm, Maasai roses and Isinya roses. These flower farms employ over 10,000 workers who also live within the precincts of the town.

Today, Kitengela town boasts of a dozen major banks, 9 microfinance institutions, 14  SACCOS including  5  transport Saccos,6 major retail stores, 6 private hospitals, several private-owned clinics, and a host of entertainment joints.

Several worship centres including a mosque that sits right in the centre of the town. Apart from the public schools, Kitengela town and its environs have 24 private high-cost schools with several of the school transport buses (Soon to be painted yellow) crisscrossing the town.

The hospitality industry has also not been left behind with over a dozen high-class eating and leisure places supplementing the many Nyama Choma eating localities.

If you don’t mind living away from the city, you should keep the property prices in mind. The average price of a spacious 2 bedroom apartment for rent in Kitengela is Kshs 20,000 compared to what you would pay in say Kileleshwa or Mombasa Road.

Because land is cheaper in Kitengela and construction material is readily available and affordable than in Nairobi, developers are taking advantage of this.

They are building luxurious gated communities that are similar to the ones in Nairobi suburbs such as Lavington or Karen.

If you want to construct your home from the ground up, there are many hardware shops, building materials and affordable labour. Even with a small portion of land, it will not be a costly affair to construct your home.

If you are thinking of investing in Kitengela and you are worried about transitioning your child to a good school, there are different learning institutions.

Some of these include Lakewood Emerald School, Kitengela International Schools, Path Hills Educational Center, Excel Girls High School, Thorn Grove Schools, St. Monica Academy, Saleka Academy, Kitengela Vineyard Academy, KISC Girls High School, Kitengela Boys High School.

There is Karen Hospital – Kitengela Branch, St. Paul’s Hospital, Kitengela Medical Services, Sucos Hospital, Nairobi Women Hospital, Maiyan Hospital and Gertrude’s Kitengela clinic.

Kitengela is well-known for numerous nyama choma places to visit. People say that Yuko’s Restaurant has the tastiest, mouthwatering meat in the area. Then there is the Arusha Meat Den.

There are also different resorts with beautiful, well-manicured gardens where you can enjoy a family outing.

Other places to eat are Maasai Ostrich Resort, Olerai Hotel, Ole Timz Restaurant, Nomad and Albans Hotel, Galaxy Resort and Lounge, Kitengela Breeze Gardens, and Pizza Inn, Creamy Inn and more.

When going to Kitengela by public means, board a matatu at the Railway Station in the CBD. Once you arrive, you will see a lot of Bodabodas and tuk-tuks which are the most used way of moving around the town.

 

Maasai Ostrich Farm –As a nature lover, you should visit the Maasai Ostrich Farm. Here, you will see over 1000 birds and learn about ostrich farming and how they ship skins and feathers around the country and abroad.

Kitengela could get hot sometimes, which is why there are numerous pools in the area. The Galaxy Hotel, The Park, Kaputiei Safariland Hotel, Sandalwood Hotels and Resorts and Rosewall all have beautiful pools at a fee of course.

 

Partygoers, Kitengela has not forgotten about you. There are different clubs to visit; Club Baileys, Indigo, Mzalendo, Club Nomads, Club 411, Club Enkare, Club 360, and Kibicho.