Konza Technopolis: Kenya’s Smart City Leading the African Silicon Savannah

What inspired Konza, and what does it mean for Kenya’s digital revolution?

Technopolis is the African Silicon Savannah. It is a concept anchored in Kenya’s Vision 2030, which is the national development blueprint aiming to transition the country to a middle-income economy by the year 2030. The goal is to provide a high quality of life for citizens while developing an innovation ecosystem that contributes to the knowledge economy.

Konza Technopolis is at the forefront of this effort, ensuring that the country can leapfrog from a low-income to a middle-income status.

We are focused on three main clusters: ICT-enabled services, life sciences, and engineering. These areas are driven by investment, business development, and research and development. The objective is to establish a new digital revolution, digital economy, and creative economy for Kenya.

What is the current status of Konza’s infrastructure?

We have finalised infrastructure development for Phase One. This includes stormwater drainage, power regulation, clean water treatment plants, energy distribution, and high-speed internet connectivity. All land parcels have been fully serviced so that investors can begin development immediately.

Our mandate is to develop infrastructure, attract, onboard, and retain investors. With support from the government, Phase One infrastructure is now complete. Out of the 147 land parcels, over 100 have already been allocated to various investors.

We are also establishing an innovation ecosystem to contribute to Kenya’s knowledge economy. Our anchor tenant is the Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, a research university whose construction is complete. It is now in the process of receiving a charter and will begin admitting students focused on STEM—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. These students will drive research and development and help build strong linkages among academia, industry, and government to foster innovation and commercialization.

Additionally, we are mandated to create at least 17,000 jobs within Phase One. We have also established a Tier III National Data Centre, which is now operational. It supports co-creation and incubation of startups that are providing digital solutions to the government as part of the broader digital transformation agenda.

How are you raising funds and engaging with investors? What kind of investors are you targeting, and what is the focus?

We are targeting a range of investors across three core clusters at Konza Technopolis: ICT and ICT-enabled services, life sciences, and engineering.

In engineering, we are attracting investors to develop the city’s physical infrastructure, including housing, office buildings, commercial spaces, schools, hospitals, entertainment, and social amenities. This is essential for creating a fully functional city.

In life sciences, we are focused on research and development, including a biopharma park. This is supported by the Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, which will drive innovation and enable commercialisation of research outcomes.

For ICT and ICT-enabled services, we have established a Tier III Uptime Certified National Data Centre that provides a cloud computing environment. This supports startups and innovation in areas like artificial intelligence and data storage, which are critical to the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

We have positioned Konza Technopolis to attract all ICT-related investments. The smart city model also aims to enhance the quality of life through technology.

Additionally, we have designated areas for light industry, including device assembly, textiles, and light manufacturing. We have already attracted investors in these areas and expect continued growth as we scale up operations.

What has been your communication strategy to assure investors that this long-term project is here to stay?

We have focused on ensuring that investors are well-informed. Initially, our priority was infrastructure development, which did not require intensive communication. The project had already been communicated earlier, and some investors arrived before we were fully ready to accommodate them.

Now, everything is in place—it is a plug-and-play environment—so we are shifting our focus to communication. We are increasing visibility through digital platforms and investing in both B2B and B2G engagement.

We also participate in global forums such as the International Association of Science Parks, which we hosted last year. This is part of our strategy to expand investor reach and demonstrate that Konza Technopolis is ready and here to stay.

We are open to partnerships that can help amplify our message and strengthen what we are building at Konza Technopolis. 

What is happening in Phase Two? What is the current strategy, and what outcome are you expecting?

Initially, the project was divided into three phases across 5,000 hectares—Phase One, Phase Two, and Phase Three. Phase One was developed at the center of the site to allow the remaining phases to grow organically.

Having completed Phase One, we have now changed our approach. Instead of moving sequentially, we are treating the entire development as a wholesale project. This means infrastructure development will now open up both Phase Two and Phase Three simultaneously.

We made this shift because we began receiving interest from investors whose needs could not be accommodated in Phase One. For example, some opportunities are more suited to Phase Two or Phase Three. Rather than asking investors to wait, we are now master-planning and preparing infrastructure across the full 5,000 hectares.

The Digital Media City, which falls within Phase Two, already has infrastructure provisions. We also have an investor interested in a Public-Private Partnership for a biopharma park located in Phase Three, so we are ensuring supporting infrastructure is in place there as well.

In short, the strategy now is to open up the entire site to accommodate a wider range of investments and accelerate development across all phases. 

If you are not engaging investors face-to-face, is there a message you’d like to share with them? Are there any misconceptions about the project that you’d like to clarify?

Yes, there has been a misconception that the project is slow or delayed. I want to assure investors that while it may appear that way, Konza Technopolis has actually progressed steadily and strategically. We’re building a city from scratch—transforming a greenfield into a fully master-planned smart city. This required extensive planning, developing guidelines, mobilising resources, and aligning multiple stakeholders.

We have now completed Phase One infrastructure, which includes clean water systems, high-speed internet, energy distribution, and stormwater drainage. The foundation is strong and smart, with sustainability at the core.

To put this in context, if you look at similar global projects like Cyberjaya in Malaysia—which began in 1997—it took over 25 years to reach where it is today, contributing over 24% to Malaysia’s digital economy. Konza is just 13 years in and already has a fully serviced, ready-for-investment ecosystem. So we believe that in the next 10 years, we will be on par with such global benchmarks.

This is a Vision 2030 flagship project, and with just five years to go, we are right on track to deliver.

My message to investors is simple:

Konza Technopolis is ready. We are a Special Economic Zone offering both physical and non-physical incentives, including tax reliefs and other government support. We are a plug-and-play environment, ready to welcome investors in ICT, ICT-enabled services, life sciences, and engineering.

This is the right time to come in—Konza is not just a project, it’s the future.