The government has dropped plans to compulsorily acquire several parcels of land around Nairobi’s Globe Roundabout that had been earmarked for the construction of a public transport terminal.
- •In a notice published in the Kenya Gazette, the National Land Commission (NLC) announced the deletion of the affected parcels, which had been identified for the proposed Globe Roundabout Public Transport Terminal.
- •The deletions were made on behalf of the Nairobi City County Government and the National Government under provisions of Part VIII of the Land Act.
- •The parcels, covering a total of 2.59 hectares, include properties owned by the Jamia Mosque Committee, Shree Visa Oshwal Community Trustees, Kahama International (Kenya) Limited, Kenya International Hotel Limited, and private landowners Shaqur-Haq and Zahoor-Ul-Haq.
The Globe Roundabout Bus Terminal project was proposed in 2021 by the now-defunct Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) as part of an ambitious plan to decongest the city and modernise its transport infrastructure. The terminal was expected to host public service vehicles from Thika Superhighway and Eastleigh, reducing the number of matatus entering the CBD.
The decision effectively halts plans for the multi-modal terminal, which had been touted as a key solution to decongest the city and ease traffic for commuters entering the central business district from Thika Road and Eastleigh.
In a notice signed on May 31, 2021, and published in Kenya Gazette Vol. CXXIII — No. 125 dated June 4, 2021, the NLC had initially declared its intention to acquire five land parcels for the project.
Kenya International Hotel, popularly known as Kahama Hotel, was among the properties listed for demolition to make way for the bus terminal. The hotel is owned by the family of the late billionaire James Mwangi Kirung’o, alias Kahama, who also owned K1 Club House in Parklands, another Kahama Hotel in Mombasa, and the Small World Country Club along Mombasa Road.