Nairobi — Kenya took a step toward Space Launch Capability after the National Treasury invited bids for transaction advisory services to support the development of a commercial spaceport in Kenya.
According to a notice published in MyGov, the invitation--issued by the National Treasury on December 6, 2025--seeks a qualified Transaction Advisor (TA) to steer the project under the Public Private Partnerships (PPP) Act, 2021.
A virtual pre-bid conference is scheduled for January 9, 2026, with the tender closing on February 13, 2026.
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In the notice, the KSA said the planned spaceport is anchored on Kenya's "unique geographical advantage" as an equatorial country with an east-facing coastline, a combination that offers fuel savings, safer downrange recovery of rocket components, and year-round launch capability due to favourable weather.
"There are currently no active satellite launch facilities on the African continent, forcing locally manufactured satellites to be launched abroad at considerable cost," the notice states, adding that a Kenyan spaceport would address this gap while enhancing regional access to space.
KSA notes that Kenya has historical credentials in space activities including the San Marco Equatorial Range near Malindi which was used between 1964 and 1988 to launch 18 sounding rockets and nine satellites. However, the facility, like Algeria's Hammaguir launch pad, is no longer operational.
KSA says the development of a commercial spaceport would not only reduce the cost of access to space for African satellites but also unlock broader economic opportunities through technology transfer, supply chain development and high-skilled employment.
The agency urged interested firms with experience in large-scale infrastructure and space-related PPP projects to participate in the tendering process.
Under the scope of work, KSA is seeking a Transaction Advisor to support the project across three phases.
Phase One will involve undertaking a PPP feasibility study, developing an implementation schedule, marketing the project, and preparing transaction documents required for regulatory approvals.
Phase Two will cover the structuring and management of the tender process, including preparation of request for qualification (RFQ) and request for proposal (RFP) documents, bid evaluations, bidder consultations, and support through to financial close.
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The final phase will focus on capacity building.
"The advisor will be required to undertake project-based learning and skills transfer to at least 15 public officers drawn from KSA and the PPP Directorate," the notice says.
The Transaction Advisor (TA) will identify the necessary amendments to make the proposed PPP modality workable.
"The TA will, inter alia, carry out the following tasks: Assess current domestic laws, acts, regulations, administrative issuances, policies and institutional arrangements to ascertain first any constraints to Project implementation, and second the validity and viability of the alternative PPP structures for the project," read the Tender document.
The Transaction Advisor will be required to develop, describe and justify a set of evaluation criteria to be used in evaluating alternative procurement and PPP options.
The Value for Money assessment is expected to examine both the choice between traditional public sector and PPP procurement, as well as alternative risk allocations between the alternative PPP options.
"The report should present clearly how the Public Sector Comparator Model, the Risk Adjusted Public Sector Comparator Model, the PPP Reference Model and the Risk Adjusted PPP Reference Model have been developed, populated with data and the assumptions considered," a clause in the tender document states.
