Kenya’s capital is looking to solve the parking situation in the county and has called for tenders for the construction of a 17-storey car park at Nairobi’s central business district estimated to cost Sh4 billion ($45.5 million) and accommodate up to 3,000 vehicles.
This high-rise building will be put up on the Sunken Car Park land, which currently has less than 500 slots. Apart from the parking spaces, the building will also have office and commercial spaces.
“So far, what we want is a seven-storey podium which is predominantly a car park. Then we have a tower which is mixed use,” said Tom Odongo, Nairobi City Council (NCC) executive for Land, Housing and Physical Planning.
Investors after building would operate the structure for an agreed number of years which should not be more than 30 years, after which it would be transferred to the county. The cost of the parking will be determined by how long motorists will use the parking slot as opposed to the flat rate of Ksh300 ($3.4).
Although all accruing income ideally goes to the investor until the structure is transferred to the county, the NCC Land, Housing and Physical Planning executive said the local authority was looking at a deal that would allow it receive income while the investor runs the facility.
NCC says the car park will be automated in order to ease traffic congestion. By this, it means cars are to be left at a designated spot from where a mechanical valet will park the car at pre-determined spot.
Although, no official figures have been released, it is believed that the county could make revenue of up to Sh5 billion ($57 million) annually from the parking service.