The Nairobi of 2035 may be almost unrecognisable from the growing cabro-paved streets that a majority of city residents navigate today.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

The skyline will stretch further west and north, trains could replace thousands of daily car journeys into the central business district, while buses running in dedicated lanes may finally challenge the dominance of the matatu.

Projections by the United Nations show the population in Nairobi is expected to grow to about 7.2 million people by 2035, up from roughly 5.7 million in 2025.

That means the city will need homes, jobs, transport, water, sewerage and public services for an additional 1.5 million residents in just a decade, placing enormous pressure on planners to ensure infrastructure keeps pace with growth.

📌 What You Need to Know

At the heart of the transformation is the Nairobi Railway City, a 425-acre redevelopment that aims to replace the ageing central railway station with a modern transport interchange linking commuter rail, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), the Standard Gauge Railway and pedestrian networks.

Plans reviewed by  Kenyans.co.ke indicate the government planners see it not merely as a transport project but as the catalyst for reshaping the central business district into a mixed-use commercial and residential hub.

Once complete, the new railway station is expected to handle up to 400,000 passengers every day by 2030 before expanding to around 600,000 daily users by 2045.

Nine platforms, public squares, retail spaces and improved pedestrian connections are designed to shift Nairobi away from its dependence on private vehicles and reduce congestion that has long frustrated commuters and businesses alike.

The expanded commuter rail network is expected to connect some of Nairobi's fastest-growing estates and satellite towns directly to the city centre through electrified rail lines converging at the new Nairobi Railway City.

Existing corridors serving Ruiru, Kahawa, Githurai, Mwiki, Dandora, Makadara, Donholm, Pipeline, Embakasi Village, Imara Daima, Syokimau, Kibera, Lenana, Dagoretti and Kikuyu will be modernised, while future phases are planned to extend services to Thika, Limuru, Lukenya, Ngong, Ongata Rongai, Kiserian, Kangemi, Kiambu and Ruai.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke