The long awaited commencement of the construction of Konza Techno City has officially kicked off.
This comes after the boundary dispute over Konza Technopolis involving Machakos, Makueni and Kajiado counties was settled.
The launch of the first phase and the supporting infrastructure was presided over by Deputy President, William Ruto. The first phase is scheduled to run between a period of four years starting this year to the year 2018.
The Infrastructure development for the initial phase incorporates the construction of a 4.2 km Access Road, power installation and the construction of water and sewerage system within the Konza Technopolis.
"As a government we are working towards achieving double digit GDP Growth, generate food surplus, boost industrial and manufacturing capacity and enhance the use of ICTs to reach this particular goal, Konza Techno City will be central to the attainment of this crucial goal," said the Deputy President.
He added that at the macro level by end of the first phase, Konza Techno City will contribute about Kshs 3 billion and will be instrumental in providing jobs directly or indirectly for the youth and citizens generally.
The DP also noted that 345 investors were queuing to invest in the project but pointed out that the disagreements by local leadership in the two Ukambani counties over its location was a major discouragement to the investors and must come an end.
"We expect 100 billion investment from the investors for this project, and they cannot make that kind of investment if you leaders are disagreeing over something mundane as in which county this project is based," he said. This came after the crowd shouted down Archbishop Martin Kivuva of the Machakos Catholic Diocese when he erroneously said Konza City was in Machakos.
Earlier, His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta also formed a Cabinet Committee of seven ministries, which include, the ministry of ICT, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Land, Housing and Urban Development, Ministry of Treasury, Ministry of Roads, Ministry of Industrialization and Enterprise Development and Ministry of Environment, Water and Natural Resources to fast track the development of infrastructure for Phase One of the Konza Techno City.
On his part, Fred Matiang'i, Cabinet Secretary Ministry of ICT said that Konza was a Vision 2030 flagship project and was an integral part of the country's ICT Masterplan.
"The benefits of building this city far overweigh the inherent risks and perceived challenges. The construction of Phase 1 will cover 410 acres and is expected to create about 17,000 jobs upon completion," he said.
The project will also have an Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES), centre within its boundaries. 177 KM of the Standard Railway Gauge is also set to pass through the Konza Techno City.
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Speaking during the same event, Konza Technopolis Development Authority (KoTDA) Chairman, Mr. John Ngumi said that so far and even with a tight budget of Kshs. 400 million in the concluded financial year, KoTDA had made some significant milestones which included hiring of the Master Delivery Partner 2 (MDP2), completion of the cadastral survey using GPS, drilling and equipping of 7 boreholes and installation of powerlines.
The first phase will also see the project fed by three fibre optic cables to help exploit technology and generate more innovations. Mr. Ngumi also confirmed that they had teamed up with an American company to help them deliver through investors.
The Akamba elders also urged the government to treat the Konza Technopolis project as a National Project and give it as much concentration as the Standard Railway Gauge projects and other projects.
Konza development also puts the private sector at the centre of its execution with the government only providing land, legal backing and approving architectural plan. The Government also looks at building primary infrastructure leading to and within the Technopolis.
The event was also attended by Governors Kivutha Kibwana (Makueni), David Nkedianye (Kajiado), Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo Jnr, Cabinet secretaries Charity Ngilu (Lands) and Fred Matiang'i (Information and ICT), several ward representatives and MPs.
