Ongata Rongai also commonly known as Rongai or Ronga is a town in Kajiado county located in the southern part of Nairobi and West of the Ngong Hills. The town was purely filled with the Maasai people who had huge pieces of land and cattle farming. However, it has seen a rise in social amenities and properties.
Living in Nairobi is both costly and there is congestion in the town. More people are moving to satellite towns which provide more affordable options in terms of housing compared to Nairobi.
Rongai has several well-known banks, hotels, schools, and malls to cater to the growing community in the town. Some of the estates in Rongai include Nkoroi, Tuala, Rangau, Rimpa and more.
Table of Contents
Map
Property Prices
Community
Medium-income earners live in Rongai. More businesses are coming up providing social amenities such as restaurants with different cuisines to cater to them. The Maasai community continue to occupy the rural parts of Rongai where they carry out their major economic activity boost which is livestock rearing.
Culture
Mention Rongai to many people and the first thing that will come to mind is the flashy matatus also known as nganyas. They are public means of transport with free wifi, loud music and big screens in them. On the outside, it’s difficult to miss the graffiti on the body of the matatu. We can’t forget to mention that a number of local entertainers live in Rongai.
Schools
There are different learning institutions in Ongata Rongai such as Laiser Hill Academy, Magadi Road Primary, Maxwell Adventist Academy, Fanaka Junior School, Olerai School, Kunoni Educational Center, Azuri School, Thorn Tree School, Ongata Primary School and more. Other schools include African Nazarene University, Adventist University of Africa, Multimedia University of Kenya and Adventist University.
Restaurants
There is a lot of fresh produce in Rongai thanks to the number of farms located in Kajiado county. The local markets, one close to Kware and the other one near Maasai Mall, stock most of the fresh produce. Rongai is known to have some tasty soft meat because it comes right from the Maasai Community.
If you are looking for a place to dine with family or friends, some of the restaurants to visit include The Smith Hotel, Beatus Chicken and Coffee House, GiMor Restaurant, Siron Place Restaurant, Club Legend, Hornbill Bar & Restaurant, Choma Place Inn Bar And Restaurant, Pizza Inn, Chicken Inn and many more.
Hospitals
To get medical assistance while in Ongata Rongai, visit the Nairobi Women’s Hospital, Mount Olive Sinai Hospital, Ongata Rongai Health Center, Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital, Avenue Healthcare, Fatima Maternity Hospital and Meridian Equator Hospital.
Malls
With the growing population in satellite towns like Ongata Rongai, there has been an increase in the social amenities in the area. Apart from Tuskys Supermarket which is at the center of the town, Naivas recently opened its first store in Rongai.
Another big mall that has come up is the modern Maasai Mall which has top retail stores, ATMs, restaurants that offer cuisines such as Italian, Chinese and Ethiopian. You can shop at the Great Wide Mall and Tumaini Supermarket.
Transport
It is difficult to ignore the traffic headache when you think about going to Rongai. It’s so bad to a point that people turn down an opportunity to go to Rongai because they are scared of getting caught in traffic. You need to plan accordingly to avoid being late for any commitments.
For instance, people who work in the city centre and want to get to the office on time will usually start their journey early in the morning at 4 or 5 a.m. Returning home is the same story. The traffic situation is as a result of Magadi Road being too narrow to accommodate all the cars entering and leaving Rongai.
Things to Do
Kajiado is a scenic county with hills, valleys, vegetation and plains. Over the weekend, take a road trip to Ngong Hills and enjoy the view while enjoying the scenic view of the green trees and huge turbines. How about going for a hike with friends to climb the steep hills? Depending on your fitness levels, it can take you close to 5 hours to complete the hike.
Another gorgeous place you should consider visiting is Kitengela Glass. Before you get to the actual place, you could see wildlife because it is right next to the Nairobi National Park. When at the venue, you will see glass art, sculptures, home decor and jewellery.
For the night lovers and party goers, check out Club Legend or Ladida Lounge.
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