Nairobi’s Garden City phase one on schedule for completion

Nairobi's Garden City Mall developed by UK-based private equity firm, Actis – is set to open in April.

There is an end in sight for phase one of the Sh22.7bn Garden City project on Thika Road in Nairobi, with the grand opening of the mall now set for April.

The Garden City mall, which is touted as East Africa’s second largest mall after the upcoming Two Rivers mall in Runda, was scheduled to open last month, but the developer – UK-based PE firm Actis – has since pushed the date forward by four months.

"With a project of this scale and complexity there is always the possibility for changes to the schedule," said Actis East Africa MD Michael Turner.

Phase one of the project, whose construction is led by Nairobi-based Mentor Management, involves the development of 33,000sqm of retail space and 76 two and three-bedroom apartments and town houses.

"Structural work on Garden City mall was completed in September 2014 and as the mall has continued to take shape. The roads and the paving, as well as the ceilings, shop fronts, tiling and doors are all progressing well," the firm said in a statement.

On final completion, the 32-acre mixed-use development will feature 50,000sqm of retail space, 20,000sqm of office space, 420 apartments and town houses, 120-key business hotel and a three-acre park.

The Garden City mall will be home to about 120 local and global retail brands, including Game – a subsidiary of South African retailer Massmart, Nakumatt, KFC, Domino's Pizza and Cold Stone Creamery.

The mall joins a host of upcoming shopping complexes along Thika Road such as Kenyatta University’s UniCity, Juja City Mall and Ananas Mall, which begun sprouting shortly after the expansion of the highway.

Thika Road has also attracted several big dollar residential developments such as Tatu City, Thika Greens and Migaa Golf Estate among others.