Nairobi — South African engineering and infrastructure advisory firm Zutari has opened its East African office in Nairobi, which will serve the entire region.
This comes after the company received a licence from the Government to set up shop in the country.
Diplomatic relations between Kenya and South Africa have been growing since the introduction of a mutual visa-free agreement in January 2023.
Engagements between Trade ministries from both countries are set to address trade barriers, opening up business opportunities for both countries.
"East Africa has long been identified as a growth area for Zutari, with Kenya at the centre of our expansion initiatives into the region," says Zutari CEO Teddy Daka.
The advisory firm has been involved in a couple of projects in the country, including Two Rivers Mall and the Kenya Water Security and Climate Resilience Project.
However, it aims to grow its presence in the country through engagements with government agencies such as the Kenya National Highways Agency (KeNHA), Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA), and Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) in the improvement of transport infrastructure.
Other areas of interest for the firm include the installation of intelligent transport systems and engagement in private-public partnership projects.
In recent years, Kenya has placed more emphasis on the extent to which companies are locally owned.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
The engineering profession in Kenya is regulated by the Kenyan Engineers Act (2011), which contains stringent requirements for engineering companies and consulting firms that would like to conduct business in Kenya.
To ensure compliance with the Act, these organisations must be registered with the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK).
"We are proud of the impact our Nairobi office has unlocked through its many infrastructure feats over multiple decades of operating in Kenya. These still stand proudly across all of Kenya, a testament to the enduring power of infrastructure to create the kind of change the world needs today," comments Paul Lombard, Regional Director of East Africa, Zutari.
In 2017, Zutari was appointed as an implementation support consultant for a sub-component of the Kenya Water Security and Climate Resilience Project, Phase 1 (KWSCRP-1), funded by the World Bank.
The project aimed at financing critical investments in the water sector in Kenya, promoting sustained investment, and building an enabling legal and institutional foundation.
Zutari completed its first project in Kenya in 1995. It has 20+ Kenyan engineering consultants and advisors working from the Nairobi office on projects across Kenya and East Africa.
To date, it has been involved with 100+ infrastructure projects in Kenya, spanning full infrastructure lifecycle solutions across the water, transport, energy, resources, and built-environment infrastructure markets
