Konza Technopolis 2026: what is built and planned

Updated 11 November 2026

Konza Technopolis is Kenya’s planned smart city and special economic zone, 65 kilometres south-east of Nairobi along the A109 Mombasa Road in Machakos County. The Konza Technopolis Development Authority (KoTDA) says the site covers 5,000 acres. Phase 1 horizontal infrastructure was completed towards the end of 2024, the Konza National Data Centre is operational, and construction of more than 1,000 affordable homes is under way. Much of the rest of the master plan, including a hotel, a digital media city and later housing, is still planned or in early stages. This guide separates what KoTDA says is already in place from what is still on the drawing board.

Updated November 2026. Facts about the site, completed works and incentives are taken from the KoTDA Investor Handbook hosted on konza.go.ke in September 2026, and from the KoTDA website, both checked on 11 November 2026. Tax rates below are those KoTDA cites from the Special Economic Zones Act, 2015, and related tax statutes; confirm the current rate with the Special Economic Zones Authority or the Kenya Revenue Authority before you rely on it. A handbook claim is not a completion certificate.

Where Konza Technopolis is, and who runs it

KoTDA describes Konza Technopolis as a Vision 2030 flagship: a purpose-built city for technology, research and investment. The official website places it 65 kilometres from Nairobi along the A109, with access also via the Konza SGR station. The land is owned and managed by KoTDA. The handbook says parcels have been planned and surveyed, and that KoTDA grants short-term or long-term sub-leases of up to 90 years, registered at the Lands Registry and limited to the approved master-plan uses. Treat the written lease you are offered as the one that counts.

The first building on the site is the Konza Cradle, a nine-storey office block with two basement parking floors. KoTDA has used it as its headquarters since March 2020. The same complex is described as including conference space, a model Huduma Centre and exhibition space. The authority’s contact address on its site is konza@konza.go.ke.

What KoTDA says is already built

In the Investor Handbook, KoTDA’s chief executive, John Paul Okwiri, lists three foundations already in place: an operational Tier III national data centre, completed Phase 1 horizontal infrastructure, and a One-Stop Shop that houses several government agencies.

On infrastructure, the handbook says Phase 1 horizontal works were finished towards the end of 2024. That package includes a network of 40-metre-wide boulevards, streetscapes with drainage, water and sewer pipes, electrical and fibre conduits, and landscaping. The website, checked on 11 November 2026, says Phase 1 covers about 400 acres and that around 40 kilometres of smart roads, carrying utility ducts and fibre, are complete. The handbook also gives these completed or installed utility figures:

• An electrical system of about 40 kilometres of power lines, one main electrical station and 54 substations, plus ICT conduits covering about 500 kilometres of zones.
• A water treatment plant designed to take borehole and dam water, with an initial output of 7.5 megalitres a day, expandable to 62 megalitres, and 13.7 megalitres of treated-water storage.
• Public facilities listed as a solid-waste handling site, a security command centre, a fire station, an entrance and security facility, and a welcome centre.
• More than 15 kilometres of cycling paths, and a 50-acre tree nursery, in the recreation section of the handbook.

The Konza National Data Centre is described as a Tier III, Uptime-certified facility with 3,068 square metres of built-up area and a further 654 square metres of whitespace. KoTDA says it runs a government cloud for ministries, departments and agencies and an enterprise cloud for private firms and smart-city systems. How this site sits among other Kenyan facilities is compared in our data centres in Kenya guide. An earlier report, Konza data centre is near full, covered Treasury’s plan to bring in a private partner to expand it. Occupancy or expansion figures in later official notices should be read from those notices, not assumed from the handbook.

The One-Stop Shop is described as fully operational. The handbook names the Special Economic Zones Authority (SEZA), the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), the National Construction Authority and the National Environment Management Authority as agencies housed there for licensing and permits.

What is still planned or under construction

Finished roads and utilities do not mean the city is fully occupied. KoTDA itself separates those works from buildings that are still under construction or only planned.

Under construction, according to the handbook, is Phase 1 of Konza’s affordable housing: more than 1,000 mixed units being developed by the Government of Kenya. A hotel is described as a project the authority intends to develop under a public-private partnership, to support conference business. That is an intention, not a statement that a hotel is open.

Still planned, or described in the future tense, are a bus transit network along the main east-west axis, a transit hub by the A8 interchange, later commuter-rail capacity to Nairobi, the Konza Digital Media City, a science and technology park, a smart vaccine production facility in the life-sciences band, and a 176-acre golf course in the wildlife corridor. The land-use plan also sets aside 668 acres for parks.

The handbook lists Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, the Open University of Kenya, the Africa Centre for Technology Studies and Riara University among education and research names at Konza. Treat that as KoTDA’s list of institutions associated with the site, and check each institution’s own page before assuming a full campus is open.

KoTDA also markets ready-to-occupy commercial space and land parcels “available for immediate lease”. That is an offer, not a directory of named tenants. Anyone comparing a lease should ask KoTDA for the current parcel map and a written letter of offer.

SEZ incentives, as KoTDA cites the law

Konza Technopolis is designated as a special economic zone under the Special Economic Zones Act, 2015. KoTDA says it holds SEZ developer and operator licences, and that it helps eligible firms apply for an SEZ enterprise licence. The incentives apply to a licensed SEZ enterprise, not automatically to anyone who visits the site.

The Investor Handbook summarises the fiscal incentives by citing the SEZ Act and related tax statutes. On corporate tax, it points to the Third Schedule of the Income Tax Act and lists 10 per cent for the first 10 years, 15 per cent for the next 10 years, and 30 per cent thereafter. That is not a tax holiday. KoTDA’s public homepage, checked on 11 November 2026, uses broader marketing language about a “10-year corporate tax exemption”. Use the statutory rates, and confirm them with SEZA or KRA, rather than the homepage slogan.

The same table, again as KoTDA cites the statutes, also lists VAT zero-rating on supplies of goods or taxable services to an SEZ enterprise; stamp-duty exemption on related instruments; withholding-tax exemptions on certain payments, including some to non-residents in the first 10 years; a 100 per cent investment deduction on buildings and machinery used in an SEZ; excise-duty treatment of SEZ goods and services as exports; exemption from the Import Declaration Fee and the Railway Development Levy; and a capital-gains-tax exemption on transfers of property within an SEZ by enterprises, developers and operators. Each row cites a specific Act. Those Acts can change, so the rates should be checked before a financial model is locked.

Licensing, as described in the handbook, requires among other things a valid SEZ enterprise licence, the zone licence, the Gazette notice for the designated customs area, a lease or letter of offer, a CR12, and tax compliance certificates for the company and its directors. Enterprises must keep stock records, file quarterly returns and follow customs procedures for goods entering or leaving the zone.

How land is leased and how to start

KoTDA says parcels are leased, not sold, in line with Kenyan land law and the Konza master plan. Uses include technology, industry, education, residential, commercial and mixed-use, as zoned. The One-Stop Shop is the authority’s stated route for licensing and aftercare. The handbook’s investment enquiry channel is the website form and the email address above. Setting up the underlying Kenyan company still follows the ordinary Business Registration Service process. Current companies-registry fees are listed in our BRS fees Kenya guide.

Konza Technopolis has finished Phase 1 infrastructure, an operating data centre and a headquarters on site since 2020. On KoTDA’s own documents, it is not a finished city: housing is being built, a hotel is intended, and large parts of the master plan remain prospective. Anyone investing should read the current handbook, confirm tax treatment with SEZA and KRA, and get a written lease or letter of offer.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Konza Technopolis?

KoTDA places it 65 kilometres south-east of Nairobi along the A109 Mombasa Road in Machakos County, with access also via the Konza SGR station.

Is Phase 1 of Konza Technopolis complete?

KoTDA says Phase 1 horizontal infrastructure, including roads and utilities on about 400 acres, was completed towards the end of 2024. Buildings, housing and later phases are a separate question: more than 1,000 affordable homes were still under construction in the handbook, and several headline projects remain planned.

Is the Konza National Data Centre open?

Yes, according to KoTDA. The handbook describes a Tier III, Uptime-certified centre with 3,068 square metres of built-up area and 654 square metres of whitespace, running government and enterprise cloud services.

What tax rate do SEZ enterprises pay at Konza?

KoTDA’s handbook, citing the Income Tax Act, lists corporate tax at 10 per cent for the first 10 years, 15 per cent for the next 10 years and 30 per cent thereafter, for a licensed SEZ enterprise. Confirm the current rate with SEZA or KRA. The homepage wording about a 10-year “exemption” does not match that table.

Can a foreign company own a project at Konza outright?

KoTDA says the 5,000-acre site is owned by the authority and is leased to investors, not sold freehold. The public website also says 100 per cent foreign ownership of a qualifying business is permitted. That is about the company, not about owning the land. Get the lease terms in writing.