By the 254.ke Newsroom.
Kenya’s Konza Technopolis Development Authority (KoTDA) is pitching the Machakos-based smart city as a base for business process outsourcing (BPO) and global business services, with a focus on creating digital jobs outside Nairobi. The authority made the case at the Rift Valley Global Services Forum in Eldoret, TechAfrica News reported on October 20, 2026.
The push builds on a first for the sector: a BPO centre at the Siaya Community Digital Hub in Bondo, launched in March 2026 with Huawei as a partner.
What is Konza Technopolis offering BPO investors?
According to TechAfrica News, KoTDA presented a BPO Onboarding Framework meant to guide investors through setting up operations and speed up market entry. The pitch also rests on infrastructure-ready spaces, reliable power and connectivity, and the Konza National Data Centre.
The forum roundtable was hosted by the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy together with the Kenya Investment Authority. No investment amounts, job numbers or company names were disclosed in the report.
Key facts on Konza at a glance
- Size and location: 5,000 acres, about 60-65 km southeast of Nairobi, a gazetted Special Economic Zone.
- Infrastructure: Phase One roads and utilities are complete, including about 40 km of smart roads with utility ducts.
- Data centre: the Konza National Data Centre is a Tier III facility; a planned expansion is estimated at about US$23 million in the 2026 investment catalogue.
- Cumulative investment: Sh99.4 billion in 2025, up from Sh83.5 billion in 2024, per the 2026 Economic Survey cited by Pulse Kenya.
- Investors: 78 in 2025, up from 70.
- Revenue: fell 19.6% in 2025 to Sh202.9 million, largely on lower land-lease income.
- Long-term goal: more than 240,000 jobs and at least 2% of GDP once fully developed. These are targets, not current results.
What happened at the Siaya BPO centre?
On March 8, 2026, the Siaya Community Digital Hub in Bondo opened what The Star described as the first community digital hub in Kenya to host a BPO centre. It uses AI-assisted tools to handle customer service across messaging, web and phone, helping agents draft responses, log interactions and analyse cases.
Twenty local youth have been trained to run the platform, and 100 more were trained in networking, cabling and ICT infrastructure under the Huawei Certified ICT Associate programme, The Star reported. The centre is expected to serve local and international clients.
How does the Jitume programme fit in?
Jitume, the digital enablement programme TechAfrica News cites, connects young people to skills and online work through hubs. Per The Star, the target is a hub in each of Kenya’s 1,450 wards, with about 290 set up and more than 400,000 young people reached as of March.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Konza Technopolis?
It sits about 60-65 km southeast of Nairobi, on land at Malili Ranch, and is managed by KoTDA.
Is Konza already creating jobs?
The 240,000-job figure is a long-term projection for a fully built city. The authority has not published current job numbers for its BPO push.
Why does BPO matter for Kenya?
Customer service and back-office work for foreign firms can employ large numbers of young graduates, and hubs outside Nairobi, such as Bondo, spread those jobs across counties.
How is Konza financially?
Investment is rising, but KoTDA’s own revenue fell 19.6% in 2025, as land-lease uptake in later phases stayed low, according to Pulse Kenya.
Related reading on 254.ke: Nairobi Data Centre Boom 2026: Who’s Building and Why and Microsoft Nairobi Engineering Centre Cuts: 400 Jobs at Risk. Official information: Konza Technopolis.
