Kenya prepares legal framework to build world-class tech-city

The Kenyan government said Tuesday it has fast-tracked a legal framework to facilitate the creation of a world-class technology city in Konza. A draft bill has been prepared to give powers to an institution that will oversee development of Konza, 60 kilometers southeast of Nairobi, through facilitating licensing and investments, Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications and Technology (ICT), Fred Matiangi said at a news conference in Nairobi. Matiangi noted that Konza is a Vision 2030 flagship project aimed at positioning Kenya as a regional hub for technology-driven industries and creating 20,000 jobs in the ICT sector in the next 17 years. The government has established policy and legal incentives to attract investment and talent to support implementation of this project, with a cabinet sub-committee formed to look at financing critical infrastructure, he added. Matiangi said the government is expecting the construction work to begin before Christmas and President Uhuru Kenyatta plans to break the ground.