The Revival of Juja: Exploring New Opportunities in Real Estate.
Private records from McMillan Memorial Library indicate that sometime in 1900 when Lord William Northrop Macmillan arrived in Nairobi he was carrying two statues he had bought in West Africa. He had been told that one was Ju and the other was Ja and had been asked to preserve them – otherwise he would perish at sea.
McMillan then settled on the road to Thika where he bought some 19,000 acres, at a time when nobody was allowed to own more than 5,000 acres. Lord McMillan would never have imagined that his vast Sisal farm would one day become a thriving settlement strategically located between Thika, Machakos and Ruiru and connected to Nairobi through the Eastern bypass. Juja is under the Nairobi Metropolitan Authority as envisaged in the Vision 2030 of Kenya.
The Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) has given Juja its fame over the years. However, in the recent past more and more notable institutions and developments have been established as the subcounty awakens. For a long time, Juja has been dwarfed by its siblings Thika and Ruiru. One would drive along the Thika Highway and not notice the town, but that has changed now. What with developments such as the Juja City Mall, Juja Preparatory School and the Precious Blood Girls’ High School, Juja.
As great as these developments are, what is currently under construction or lined up for development is going to transform the hitherto nondescript constituency into one of the emerging modern business, residential and learning centers hub.
Sample this, the proposed and approved greater Eastern bypass connecting Mombasa Road to Makuyu is designed to pass through Juja Farm. This road will then be connected to the Thika Superhighway through the link road currently under construction. Add to this the fact that the current Eastern by pass is just a few kilometers from Juja Farm Shopping Center. There are plans to upgrade the current dirt road that connects Juja Farm to Ruiru at the Kamaki’s section of the Eastern bypass. The opportunities this opening up of access to Juja avails are enormous.
A lot has been said about the upcoming Northlands City being developed. What many may not know is that the proposed link road joining Juja Farm to the Eastern Bypass will make Juja one of the nearest Suburbs to this great project.
The Catholic Church may have known something about Juja since it is heavily invested in this previously “unattractive” place. The latest catholic institution is the Precious Blood Girls Secondary School which opened its doors to new students in 2018. This is in an area that boasts of one of the biggest cathedrals in Kiambu county – the St. James cathedral a mission complete with the St. James Primary School and the Benedictine Monastery. Currently the Catholic Church is building another school that is designed to house both a primary and secondary Section.
Indeed, the time for Juja has come. There are plans to connect the constituency through a bridge over the Athi River to Machakos. This will be a game changer. Currently, trade between Juja and Machakos is carried out through boats and canoes across the river. One can only imagine what business and development opportunities this connection will create.
For a discerning investor, all these completed, ongoing and proposed developments can only spell opportunity. On matters investment in land, this is the best time to invest in Juja while it is still affordable. By the time half of the ongoing projects are complete or nearing completion, property prices in Juja will be beyond many people’s reach.
Although the information regarding these projects is in the public domain, only those who are visionary or who partner with companies such as Nulands Limited will be able to take advantage of the emerging opportunities. They have a number of plots of land ready for the picking and you have the opportunity to have a site visit when ready. Join with us on the Juja investment train.