Technology hub creation, job creation in ICT sector, economic diversification, smart city infrastructure model
Konza Technopolis (Konza Technology City)
5,000-acre smart city and technology hub 60km south of Nairobi, intended to be Africa's Silicon Savannah.
AnnouncedJanuary 1, 2008
StartedJanuary 23, 2013
Financials
Offering PriceKsh 1,500,000,000,000KES
Timeline
Konza Technopolis Announced
Kenya Vision 2030 identified Konza as a flagship project for the ICT pillar
Groundbreaking
President Kibaki broke ground for Konza Technopolis
Phase 1 Infrastructure Construction
Construction began on Phase 1 horizontal infrastructure including roads and utilities
Slow Progress Criticism
Critics highlighted slow progress, with minimal visible development 7 years after groundbreaking
National Data Centre Commissioned
The Konza National Data Centre became operational, hosting government cloud services
Contractors
Tetra Tech Inc.
Master Plan DeveloperDeveloped the Konza Technopolis master plan
Various Contractors
Phase 1 Horizontal InfrastructureMultiple contractors for Phase 1 roads, water, and power infrastructure
Politicians Involved
Mwai Kibaki
President of KenyaInitiated the Konza Technopolis project as part of Kenya Vision 2030
Uhuru Kenyatta
President of KenyaContinued development, launched Phase 1 construction in 2018
Joe Mucheru
Cabinet Secretary for ICTOversaw Konza development during the Kenyatta administration
Benefits
Description
Konza Technopolis is a planned smart city on 5,000 acres of land in Machakos County, about 60km south of Nairobi along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway. The project was conceived as a technology hub that would attract IT companies, BPO firms, and tech startups, featuring smart infrastructure, a university, and capacity for 200,000 residents. Phase 1 horizontal infrastructure (roads, water, power, ICT backbone) has been constructed, but the project has progressed slowly relative to its original ambitious timeline. The Konza Data Centre and National Cloud were among the first buildings completed.
Overview
Envisioned as Africa's Silicon Valley, intended to diversify Kenya's economy beyond agriculture and tourism into a knowledge-based digital economy.