Embakasi | |
|---|---|
  Embakasi Location of Embakasi in Kenya | |
| Coordinates:01°19′25″S36°54′00″E / 1.32361°S 36.90000°E /-1.32361; 36.90000 | |
| Country | Kenya |
| County | Nairobi City |
| Sub-county | Embakasi |
Embakasi is a neighbourhood in the city ofNairobi. It is approximately 18 kilometres (11 mi), southeast of thecentral business district. Embakasi is considered part of Nairobi's Eastlands area, lying to the south-east ofNairobi County. The Embakasiproper covers other estates in Eastlands such asDonholm,Pipeline, Tena, and Makadara estates. It bordersSouth C and contains South B and slightly more than one third of Nairobi's Industrial Area andExport Processing Zones.
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is located in Embakasi and it was known as Embakasi Airport when it was launched in 1958.
The sub-county borrows its name from the neighbourhood and covers part of what wasEmbakasi Constituency, and is one of the eleven sub-counties in Nairobi. It has a land area of 86.3 km2 (33.3 sq mi).[1] In the 2019 census, Embakasi had a population of 988,808, accounting for more than 22% of the total population of the county, and a population density of 11,460/km2, making it the most populous of the sub-counties inNairobi City County.[1][2]
TheKenya Civil Aviation Authority has its head office on the property ofJomo Kenyatta International Airport in Embakasi.[3][4] TheKenya Airports Authority also has its head office at the airport.[5]
Kifaru Primary School is a basic educational facility situated in theNjiru Ward near theUmoja Ward.Our Lady Of Nazareth Primary School is catholic school located inMkuru Kwa Njenga OtherSchools in Embakasi Area
Kenya Airways has its head office in Embakasi.[6]African Express Airways has its head office on the grounds ofJomo Kenyatta International Airport in Embakasi.[7]JetLink Express has its head office in the Freight Complex in Embakasi.[8]
Embakasi is the location of anInland Container Depot popularly known as the dry port. Embakasi contains the bulk of the Nairobi portion of the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway. TheMombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway has a cargo station at Embakasi.
In 2010, a passenger railway branchline was proposed from Embakasi toJomo Kenyatta International Airport to relieve overcrowding on the adjacent road.
As of 2022, a low-frequency, unidirectional commuter service was available from the Embakasi SGR station.
In September 2011 at least 75 people burned[9] to death after apetrol fire broke out in the division.[10] The fire started when afuel tank at a depot belonging to theKenya Pipeline Company, spilled fuel into an opensewer running through Embakasi. Residents tried to scoop up fuel from the burst pipe and sewer, and were burned when the petrol ignited after someone threw acigarette butt into the sewer.[11]
A gas blast killed at three people and injured nearly 300 on February 2, 2024, in Embakasi. At midnight a lorry carrying gas cylinders exploded and igniting a huge blaze raging close to blocks of flats.[12] The Kenyan government initially said, the accident happened at a gas plant where workers were refilling gas cylinders. Local authorities later clarified that a truck had exploded in a parking yard. The responsible Kenyan AuthorityEpra stated, that the gas plant was illegal and that it had rejected three applications for construction permits to build a storage and filling facility at the site in Embakasi.[13]
