The Senate Information, Communication and Technology Committee Chairperson Allan Chesang has stated that Parliament will support a bill to establish the Konza Technopolis Authority.
Mr Chesang stated that the Bill, which is sponsored by Nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba, will allow for the establishment of the Authority, which will administer the Technopolis’ planning, development, and management, as well as formulate a development plan that will be reviewed every ten years.
The Trans Nzoia Senator, who led a team on a tour of the Konza Technopolis facility in Machakos County, stated that the Konza Technopolis is expected to position Kenya as an Information and Communication Technology hub for Africa, and that remarkable progress has been made in the last eight years towards this goal.
“Konza Technopolis Authority will initiate the formulation of policies, strategies and plans for the development in consultation with the relevant State agencies, county governments and other stakeholders and facilitate the development of industrial, commercial, educational, residential, recreational and related facilities and infrastructure in the Technopolis,” said Chesang.
Senate ICT Committee Vice Chairperson Nominated Senator Miraj Abdullahi, Elgeyo Marakwet Senator William Kisang, Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo, and Nominated Senator Karen Nyamu have pledged to lobby their House colleagues to support the Bill.
Senator Maanzo stated that residents of Machakos, Makueni, and Kajiado counties who live near the 5,000-acre Konza Technopolis fully support the project. He stated that once the Bill is passed, it will provide a framework for the city’s operationalization, and he requested that locals be prioritised in job opportunities.
According to the Bill, the Authority will be expected to monitor and evaluate the development and performance of any project within the technopolis, as well as to facilitate the construction of any works required for the protection and preservation of natural resources.
This will be done in collaboration with the National Commission for Science, Technology, and Innovation.
“This will facilitate the specialised research and development in high technology in collaboration with relevant institutions of higher learning and research institutions and facilitate the conduct of scientific research and development in technology and innovation in Kenya,” reads the Bill in part.
The Authority will facilitate the establishment and development of industries that use high technology in their activities, the economic and social development of the technopolis, and the development and management of ICT parks.
According to the Bill, the Authority will be tasked with promoting and marketing opportunities for investment in ICT and industrial activities in the technopolis, as well as any other function conferred on it by any other written law.
The Konza Technopolis Authority will work with other state agencies and counties to facilitate the issuance of licences within the technopolis.
