Counties may soon have an opportunity to design and develop their smart cities to be overseen by a new authority, should the Senate pass The Technopolis Bill, 2024
The proposed law allows the Technopolis Authority, a successor of the Konza Technopolis Development Authority (KoTD), to help counties develop their own smart cities, in what is aimed at expanding the reach of the so-called Silicon Savannah, as the burgeoning tech scene centered in Nairobi is known.
“The [Technopolis] Authority may collaborate with a relevant county government or any other government entity to…develop the physical and land use development plans of a Buffer Zone (around technopolis),” reads the bill, which is currently before the Senate.
A buffer zone is a defined area surrounding a technopolis that is subject to controlled land use, and is aimed at preventing the sprouting of slums close to smart cities, a feature that has been common with Nairobi’s high-end estates.
The Authority will also “ensure that development within the buffer zone adheres to the physical and land use development plans,” adds the bill, which has already been passed by the National Assembly.
The Bill has been sponsored by Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichungwah, the leader of the Majority Party.
Currently, the Konza technopolis, which straddles Machakos, Makueni, and Kajiado counties, is the country’s only technopolis, or a science and technology hub, often with residential and recreational areas to create a vibrant community.
The CEO of Konza Technopolis Development Authority John Paul Okwiri said the development of smart cities in the counties will not only help the country foster a knowledge economy, it will also assist with city planning.
“Most of our towns were not planned. So, we are saying there is a new way of doing things, and this one is where you plan first,” said Mr Okwiri in an interview.
Mr Okwiri gave the examples of South Korea, Malaysia, and China where cities are being built nearly every year. “They (these countries) have many upcoming villages. They just pick a village redesign and regenerate it,” added Okwiri.
KoTD, which will transition into Konza Authority should the bill become law, has been working with various counties to build digital hubs to build a knowledge economy.
Started in 2009 by the administration of Mwai Kibaki, Konza Technopolis is a futuristic science park and area of innovation, sitting on a 5,000-acre grassland. However, it is beset with critical challenges, with private investors reluctant to step in, leaving key aspects of the 'Sillicon Savana' vision unrealised.
However, some of Konza’s standout innovations are an automated waste management system that transports sorted trash to processing plants and a fast, compact water rehabilitation plant.
A Tier 3 data center, serving over 150 public and private clients for cloud and co-location services, is also already operational.
To date, the Kenyan government has invested over Sh90 billion in the project, focusing on foundational infrastructure and flagship buildings like the one that houses the Konza Technopolis Development Authority (KoTDA) headquarters and the Open University of Kenya.
