Grandiose plans, red tape and a lack of funding have left Konza Technopolis – the Sh1.5 trillion new city to be built some 60 kilometers southeast of Nairobi – way behind schedule on its goal of having 20,000 people on site by 2020.“It has taken too long and I think people have moved on,” said tech entrepreneur Josiah Mugambi, founder of Alba.one, a Nairobi-based software company, who was initially excited by the Government’s ambitious project.
Dubbed the Silicon Savannah, Konza aims to become a smart city – using tech to manage water and electricity efficiently and reduce commuting time – and a solution to the rapid, unplanned urbanization which has plagued existing cities.
About 40 percent of Africa’s one billion people live in towns and cities and the World Bank predicts the urban population will double over the next 25 years, adding pressure to already stretched infrastructure.
Konza’s dream is to become a top business process outsourcing hub by 2030, with on-site universities training locals to feed into a 200,000-strong workforce providing IT support and call center services remotely.
But the first building has yet to be completed on the 5,000-acre former cattle ranch three years after breaking ground, and business has shifted its focus to other African countries, such as Rwanda, with competing visions to become modern tech hubs.
