Thika town is a step closer to being declared Kenya’s sixth city after the Kiambu County Assembly unanimously approved a report recommending its elevation, setting the stage for the matter to proceed to the Senate for debate and possible approval.

The report, tabled by the County Assembly’s Committee on County Planning and Urbanisation chaired by Moses Ngatha, follows an earlier submission by Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi seeking to transform Thika into an industrial smart city.

The proposal will now be forwarded to the Senate, and if approved, it will be presented to President William Ruto for final consideration.

Kiambu Speaker Charles Thiong’o welcomed the development, describing it as a smart idea that would boost investment, infrastructure growth, and job creation.

“We will convey the assembly’s approval to the Senate and look forward to the eventual granting of the charter. This means more investors and investments coming to Kiambu,” he said.

Governor Wamatangi had submitted the city charter to the assembly in February, following a public participation process carried out by an ad hoc committee led by former nominated senator Sylvia Kasanga.

The planning committee also conducted independent stakeholder consultations before preparing the final report.

While presenting the report, Ngatha said Thika meets the legal requirements under the Urban Areas and Cities Act, including a population of over 700,000 — well above the minimum 250,000 required for city status.

He added that the town already has an approved Integrated Strategic Urban Development Plan, which supports its long-term growth, operational sustainability and infrastructure expansion. “Thika town has demonstrated the capacity to generate sufficient revenue to run its operations and to effectively and efficiently deliver essential services to its residents,” said Ngatha.

He also pointed out that the municipality is among the top revenue generators in the county, earning from land rates, business permits, licenses, environmental charges, transport fees and national allocations.

Wamatangi said Thika’s strategic location makes it a key gateway to Mt Kenya, Eastern and North Eastern Kenya and even parts of the Horn of Africa.

He described it as one of the fastest-growing towns in the country, situated along the Trans-Africa Highway and supported by a network that includes the Nairobi–Thika Superhighway, a railway, and a highway to Northern Kenya.

He said attaining city status would enhance Thika’s global profile and attract more development funding. “As a city, it could serve as a key economic and trade hub for central East Africa and beyond,” he said.

With the city charter, Wamatangi added that Thika would be better positioned to attract funding and grants to support development, social programmes and other critical projects.

Kamenu MCA Peter Mburu said Thika’s elevation would bring widespread benefits such as better infrastructure, a 24-hour economy, improved standards of living and increased property values. He linked these gains to the expected rise in new businesses and economic opportunities.

The elevation bid is also supported by the national government, with over Sh10 billion already committed to infrastructure projects in Thika under a joint initiative between the county and the Ruto administration.