Work is due to start this year on the construction of a technology city on 5,000 acres of land some 60 kilometres south east of Nairobi. Konza Techno City is being built in four five-year phases under the oversight of the Konza Technopolis Development Authority. Some 15 firms and institutions have expressed interest in the first phase of the project, and the government is expecting many other partners and investors to join.
The project aims to create an enabling environment for world-class research, education and business. Anchor tenants recruited so far include a car manufacturer seeking to create a training centre for its African operations and a large American company seeking to establish a data centre. The city is also expected to provide IT-enabled services and business process outsourcing services for export to Africa and the rest of the world, in competition with India.
In the first phase of the project, around 100 acres of land has been set aside for residential buildings and around 50 acres for universities, with around 30 acres for offices and 30 acres for hospitals. Other space will be allocated to schools, hotels, retailers and public spaces. Fibre optic networks will be laid, and an offsite power substation constructed.