# KENYA | Konza Technology City | U/C



## SE9 (Apr 26, 2005)

Konza Technology City
*Nairobi Metropolitan Region*
*Kenya*

*Official Website:* http://www.konzacity.co.ke/

*Wikipedia:* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konza_Technology_City

*Kenyan Forum Thread:* http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1061225


*Development Facts*

*Cost:* $14.5 billion

*Area:* 5,000 acre site

*Location:* 60km (37 miles) south-east of Nairobi

*Architects:* SHoP Architects (http://www.shoparc.com/)


60562929​


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## SE9 (Apr 26, 2005)

The $14.5 billion "Silicon Savannah" has broken ground today:


*Kenya begins construction of 'silicon' city Konza*
BBC News
23 January 2013​


> *Kenya's president has launched a $14.5bn (£9.1bn) project to build a new city intended to be an IT business hub and dubbed "Africa's Silicon Savannah".*
> 
> It will take 20 years to build Konza Technology City about 60km (37 miles) from the capital, Nairobi.
> 
> ...


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## Erwin5Rw (Nov 23, 2008)

Great project!! Kigali can now forget about being an IT hub!


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## SE9 (Apr 26, 2005)

Rwanda didn't realistically stand a chance. Nairobi/Kenya has been silently but effectively positioning itself as an important hub for IT and communication firms, research labs and so forth:

*IBM:* Kenya seals deal to host IBM’s first Africa research hub (2012)

*Qualcomm:* Qualcomm to set up regional Africa center in Nairobi (2012)

*Nokia:* Nokia to set up global research hub in Nairobi (2012)

*Stratlink Global:* StratLink to open first African office in Nairobi (2012)

*Motorola Solutions:* Motorola Solutions Opens Kenya Office (Africa HQ) for Enterprise Business (2012)

*NIIT:* Indian IT firm to set up office in Kenya (2012)

*Blackberry:* Blackberry to Set Up Offices in Country (2011)

*Bharti Airtel:* African headquarters of Bharti will be in Nairobi (2010)

*Cisco Systems:* Cisco Inaugurates East African Headquarters in Nairobi (2007)

... the list goes on.


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## SE9 (Apr 26, 2005)

*Kenya breaks ground on Africa’s silicon savannah*
Financial Times
23 January 2013​


> *Kenya has begun converting 5,000 acres of savannah dotted with antelopes and ringed by hills into “the most modern city in Africa”. Contractors begin work this week on the $10bn Konza Techno City project, 60km south of the capital Nairobi, which has been dubbed Kenya’s Silicon Savannah.*
> 
> “This is an ultra-modern and visionary undertaking,” said Mwai Kibaki, Kenya’s president, breaking ground on Tuesday in front of a 3,000 strong crowd at the scrubland site, which he said would be a game-changer for Kenya’s $36bn economy. “You may not believe that there will be 200,000 jobs here, but you better just keep watching.”
> 
> ...


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## borisbaars (Mar 26, 2012)

its started
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.554348414577838.128388.222647841081232&type=3
http://www.konzacity.co.ke

Hope it works out. More often than not these project fail completely.
But it looks like a smart plan.
Last massive project probaly that Kibaki will start


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## tita01 (Oct 21, 2011)

massive ^^ any latest about Tato City?


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## SE9 (Apr 26, 2005)

tita01 said:


> massive ^^ any latest about Tato City?


Yes, the final legal hurdles have been overcome and Tatu City is now fully under construction.


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## SE9 (Apr 26, 2005)

Word from Google's executive chairman Eric Schmidt:

*Google’s Eric Schmidt Sees Nairobi as Africa’s Technology Leader*
Bloomberg
23 January 2013










> *After a week of traveling around sub-Saharan Africa, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt saw what he thinks could be the continent’s technology leader: Nairobi, Kenya’s capital.*
> 
> “Nairobi has emerged as a serious tech hub and may become the African leader,” he said in a post on Google+ yesterday. Rwanda is “a jewel with a terrible past” and Nigeria has an “international image problem.”
> 
> ...


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## SE9 (Apr 26, 2005)

The Kenyan government will locate its data centre at Konza:

*Government data centre set for Konza*
Capital Business
24 January 2013​


> *The Government of Kenya is set to take the lead as one of the foremost tenants at Konza Techno City, with the proposed setting up of an ultra-modern Government Data Centre.*
> 
> According to Vision 2030 Delivery Secretariat Director General Mugo Kibati, the government has committed to taking up space at the new Konza Techno City, with plans of putting up a new Tier 4 Government Data Centre, as part of the Vision 2030 implementation process.
> 
> ...


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## undisputed naija (Jan 18, 2013)

great project kenya is coming up. but u guys should not spoil naija's name o! pls


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## SE9 (Apr 26, 2005)

BBC News report:







NTV (local news) report:


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## borisbaars (Mar 26, 2012)

http://www.scribd.com/doc/117209449/Konza-City-EOI-for-Master-Delivery-Partner-2
+links at the bottom of the page really intresting!


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## Slartibartfas (Aug 15, 2006)

This is an exciting project. I hope it will develop as it is hoped for. Just being curious, how is the electricity infrastructure in that area? IT business is pretty energy hungry, how is that need going to be addressed? And what energy source will be used? Conventional, coal or oil or something else?


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## SE9 (Apr 26, 2005)

Slartibartfas said:


> This is an exciting project. I hope it will develop as it is hoped for. Just being curious, how is the electricity infrastructure in that area? IT business is pretty energy hungry, how is that need going to be addressed? And what energy source will be used? Conventional, coal or oil or something else?


Kenya is in the process constructing several power plants, dams, geothermal plants and one of the world's largest wind farms.

Here's the thread on the $873m Lake Turkana Wind Power Project: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=922856

The 'energy' thread in the Kenyan forum, for all other energy related projects: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1130557&page=10


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## SE9 (Apr 26, 2005)

More Konza visuals have been released.

Video:

58618218


Entry plaza:











University campus:











Business district:











Technology and life science district:











Konza Techno City pavilion:





























Masterplan structure:











Phase one (U/C):


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## emil_tdk (Feb 16, 2010)

very interesting project for Kenya. Do you have any pictures from the construction area?


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## mwinyi (Oct 13, 2007)

updates on this project?

any international partners?


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## SE9 (Apr 26, 2005)

emil_tdk said:


> very interesting project for Kenya. Do you have any pictures from the construction area?


Only superficial clearing ongoing currently. Real work will start by the end of the year.


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## SE9 (Apr 26, 2005)

*Konza City construction starts in December after firm picked*
Investment Kenya
June 2013​


> *Construction at Konza Technolopis is expected to start in December after the government tapped a US consultancy firm to guide the first phase of the multi-billion- shilling project.*
> 
> Tetra Tech Inc beat five bidders to secure the contract that will include land lease negotiation with investors, marketing the project and overseas firms that will lay infrastructure such as power, roads and sewerage on the 5,000-acre land.
> 
> ...


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## SE9 (Apr 26, 2005)

Courtesy of *SHoP Architects*:


Masterplan overview

60562929


Phase 1 flythrough

61540937


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## SE9 (Apr 26, 2005)

mwinyi said:


> updates on this project?
> 
> any international partners?


Here's some details:


Masterplan

- *Main architect:* SHoP Architects (http://www.shoparc.com/)

- *Consultants:* Tetra Tech (http://www.tetratech.com/)

- *Transaction advisor:* International Finance Corporation (http://www.ifc.org/)

- *Corporate interest:* include Google, Huawei, Samsung, Boeing, Craft Silicon, Telemax Technology Corporation and Fedex


Phase 1

- *Construction schedule:* 2013-2017

- *Cost:* $750 million of on-site infrastructure, $310 million of off-site infrastructure

- *Phase 1 financiers:* Kenya, Brazil, Russia, India, China, International Finance Corporation (plus others)


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## wmajaji (Oct 11, 2007)

Thats quite ambitious. Good luck


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## kalasha (Oct 7, 2013)

Great project.

Why the link in first post konzacity.co.ke not opening? Want to known smart city features of this project.


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## erbse (Nov 8, 2006)

Hi, obviously this is the new link domain:

*http://www.konzacity.go.ke/ *

Great ambitious project, all the best Kenya! You deserve it. kay:










Additional render of the campus:








from the above website


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## joseeric08 (Apr 22, 2010)

*Konza to benefit from GES Summit*

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/...ummit/-/539546/2804772/-/2868sbz/-/index.html


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## towerpower123 (Feb 12, 2013)

That's in Kenya?! It looks amazing!!!


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## Adm.Adama (Jan 29, 2012)

del


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## Adm.Adama (Jan 29, 2012)

natulengejuu said:


> courtesy of konza twitter


Recent progress



Kenyan_yungin said:


> ^^


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## Adm.Adama (Jan 29, 2012)

Netlink said:


> Konza Techno City whose construction has started will now be getting water from the rehabilitated Nol-turesh line commissioned today 3/3/2017​


First building is progressing quickly.


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## Adm.Adama (Jan 29, 2012)

ng'ombe ya mkale said:


> if you currently visit google earth it confirms the extent of phase one though roads are not tarmacked (see images below)
> 
> *konza twitter posted this below *,
> 
> ...


Phase 1 looks just like the masterplan by SHoP.


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