@ mkeiy...Govt thru Ministry of Local Authorities Bye Laws and Urban Areas and Cities Bill/Law controls all land usage within the jurisdiction of kenya.
http://www.a4architect.c...s-and-cities-bill-2011/
Once Govt. ascertains than a particular land use is of benefit to the people of Kenya, it then introduces/enforces a Bye law and now there is even a further law to endure this-Urban Areas and Cities Bill.
Also, there is the Compulsory Land Acquisition Act when push comes to shove e.g during new Roads construction.
http://www.kenyalaw.org/...erm2=Land%20Acquisition

For Example, in Upper Hill/CBD, you cannot construct any low density development even if you own the land. In industrial area, you can only construct an industry-related building . In Muthaiga, you can only construct single dwelling residential within a 0.5 acre land unless you apply for a change of user giving very good reasons as to why you want to deviate.
This way, Govt controls all land uses and plot sizes.

The original Konza ranch owners, 600 people each owning around 8 acres sold the land at KES 200K per acre. The land has increased 5-fold by now. If the demand-supply markets were left to play to each other, the amount of land available for sale would have been in over-supply hence the price would not have increased this much.The original owners will be the biggest beneficiaries since they can now sell their land at a higher price than the 200k pr acre.
See current sale prices here
http://countrywidegeoinf...for-sale/64-malili.html

http://josekinyaga.co.ke...iew=property&id=121

http://www.casepolicy.org/?p=285
''The construction of the technopolis is hinged on a model where the government offers land, legal backing, and architectural plans to investors to build business process outsourcing (BPO) ventures, a science park, shopping malls, hotels, international schools and health facilities.

Dr Ndemo has stepped up the search for investors in time for ground breaking in August, arguing that Parliament and the Cabinet recognise the existence of special economic zones.''

Just wait until they start allocating the plots in Konza. Who will the gov't sell to the space right in the middle of the city? Why don't they want competitive bidding as is the law according to the AG?

Who said that the next gov't PS will want to go on with the plan as is? What happens if 3 years from now the expected investors find another country to go to? What if there is another tech bubble? Heck, what if Kenyans fight again? Hizi ni swali nyeti.

Can you explain in plain words without gov't speak how you are going to make Apple move from China where electricity is cheaper and ever present and the populace is well educated, to Konza where the exact opposite is true?

I have more questions as an investor but I think these are enough to get anyone thinking and moving Konza or any such project in the right direction.


We have a habit in Kenya of coming up with slogans such as Vision 2030, kazi kwa vijana etc without ever considering the challenges we face RIGHT NOW. Only when we accept the challenges can we deal with them. I dare anyone in ICT to take a walk to Rwanda and Egypt.

@mkeiy..these Laws apply to all land in the Kenyan republic.
1.Local Authority Bylwas
2. Urban Areas and Cities.
http://www.a4architect.c...s-and-cities-bill-2011/

In a ranch that has 600 people with title deeds to 8 acre pieces of land, all Govt needs to do is set a minimum land size e.g 1 to 5 acres for subdivision.
While subdividing, the Local Authority will then set a minimum size of road width for subdivision approval-say 15 m wide which is ok for a city.
The Local Authority planners will then use some rationale e.g land near Msa road should be commercial, land further away, residential e.t.c to come up with a bye law that will regulate the zoning. These bye laws usually have peoples interest at heart represented by their councilors during the meetings.
Last week, Govt advertised in the papers for the Konza city zoning plan gazetement so they are already in the final details of this.

There is no need for compulsory acquisition act in Konza since there are no existing buildings-its a vast grassland.

What would make existing land owners want to sell the land soon instead of doing it how most of us would do it-wait for investors to come and then sell it to them at 5-6 times the price I would sell today?

This approach would definitely slow down the project!

In a free market, there is always someone wanting to sell their land for a particular reason-fees,hospital bill e.t.c
In a controlled market, the demand-supply relationship is skewed .
As we speak, 3 different land owners in Konza area, each with over 10,000 acres have approached me for sourcing for Joint Venture/buyer of part of their land. In their 10,000 acres land, the price has remained the same over the last 1 year as compared to land around Konza epicentre. This is because the forces of a free market demand-supply are in play.

Thanks a4architect for giving us those links. I find them extremely interesting to say the least.

Here is a gov't official in public pointing out that there are major problems with the current institutional frameworks in Kenya. So is the solution to go create a new city? Or is it to deal with the institutional failures that I'm 100% sure are going to follow to Konza.

I'm finding it scary to imagine that this project seems to come out from one official in gov't. Now that he's accepted in public that Konza is a political hot potato (he's been promised heaven), what happens to the project when they inevitably remove him if he continues fighting for it as he is.

I find myself looking at Ndemo and supporting him 100% in his Konza vision. Actually I think the only way for his vision to work is if he ran and I will support such a leader 100%.

But I have seen how Kenyans work. So forgive me if I don't hold my breathe as one guy said in the post, as Konza follows in the ways of Buruburu. Now more than ever I see it as a real estate project dressed up in ICT by those pretending that Kenya is a major factor in ICT Development.

I'm now waiting for Anyang Nyongo to set up a Health City somewhere in Bondo with taxpayers money as Kenyans have the best doctors in the world. Then Njeru Githae setting up an Accountants and lawyers metropolis somewhere in Meru.

@ Alma..welcome.

Such debates between Govt and tis citizens should be encouraged so as we can all be enlightened and exchange ideas on how best we can realize such great concepts such as Konza city.

Am in the business of creating real estate 'hype' for the benefit of land owners who gain when land value increases. e.g this

http://www.a4architect.c...signed-to-become-green/




When i see the same 'hype' created on land that Govt has bought with tax payers money[mine and yours], i can easily see a 100 % perfect real estate project of which i can learn new real estate marketing ideas from.

Ministries should stick to their main core business and learn to cooperate. E.g Ministry of Lands/Housing/Local Govt/Nairobi Metropolitan can easily handle land matters since they have surveyors, planners, land planning & allocation systems e.t.c

These can assist Ministry of Information in matters concerning land to ensure harmony.

This will prevent situations that @alma has stated above where Ministry of Health will seek to execute a Health city in Bondo and Ministry of Finance a Finance/Lawyer city in Meru.

Kenyans should also encourage debate amongst themselves and Govt. Ministries which work collectively on behalf for the Kenyan tax payers so that these ministries can use the debates so as to always strive to utilize tax payers money efficiently as per Kenyan Law and within their jurisdictions.

Over-reliance on World bank /IFC consultancies/International Architects/Planners on the Konza City should be discouraged.


All is not lost though for an ICT city in Konza. If Dr Ndemo listens to the ideas given here pro bono by Wazuans, the concept can develop into an ICT city easily.

I hope Architectural Association of Kenya will also come into this and 'liberate' Kenyans from the mentality that only some overseas architects and planners can come up with marvelous concepts.AAK needs to prove to the ICT board that their members can also plan a city.

The advert just shows how this project is not well thought out.

For instance,the Govt estimates the cost of putting up Konza city to be Sh.2Trillion in the next 20yrs, this means, if am not mistaken,for the city to be complete it needs at least Sh.100Billion each year.

The govt has allocated Sh.800Million so we need investors to fork Sh.99.2B this year alone for the project to be on course....is this realistically feasible.

What you say dude? You were complaining of gov't investing, now you are not happy with OVER RELIANCE on investors. You seem to be shifting goals posts.

On zoning,gov't can only mold what it controls. Setting by-laws of how to sub-divide and all, what IF the owners don't want to subdivide? It's only prudent to acquire the land first, then mold it to the desired plan. It is happening now coz the gov't has control over the land.

On infrastructure, South Korea is the most wired country in the world,their internet speeds beat the rest of the world hands down. Even the remotest of ma-ul [village] has high-speed internet connection. If its only internet, then S.Koreans should be the masters of start-ups,[since on this forum, ICT has been taken to be START-UPS only].

Silicon valley happens to do what it does today coz of the environment. An idea is easily funded. Think of facebook coming from a place like Thika, how far would it have gone? Konza city is convergence of the missing elements in the rest of the country,currently. Just coz every school has a football pitch, doesn't mean we have Messis everywhere in Kenya. But if we had a center for football,with all the footballing minds,the skills we have around would be horned to more refined talent. The ICT talents will be horned in Konza,if need be.

With Konza,most of the missing ICT elements will be brought next door. LINKAGE!

Nothing can be done in a vacuum [investing-wise], buildings are part of the equation. If you need school, you build the physical structures first, a church, the same, a prison , the same.

You have also argued that with Konza city or not, a city would have developed over time, along Mombasa road. A city like KITENGELA? MLOLONGO? That's the kind of cities you are talking about? Microsoft with its East and Central Africa offices in MLOLONGO? I give it to you.