The National Housing Corporation (NHC) has announced plans to construct 5,000 homes at Konza City in Machakos County following the signing of a land lease agreement with Konza Technopolis Development Authority.
Construction of the affordable housing units is expected to begin in November – marking a major milestone for the technology city that is slowly coming up in Machakos County. NHC has recently signed deals with several counties, including Laikipia, Murang’a, Kiambu, and now Machakos, for the development of affordable houses within their respective areas.
The Technopolis is situated a 5,000 acre piece of land 60km from the country’s capital city of Nairobi. Once operational, the city will be able to attract software developers, university campuses focused on research and technology, hospitals, schools, high speed mass transport system, a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) park among other world class amenities. It is also meant to put Kenya on the global spotlight as Africa’s premiere techno hub. This will also unlock the unemployment gridlock in the country.
Unlocking the unemployment gridlock
The government has in recent years been pumping over Sh10 billion annually into Konza. The development of the tech city, which was mooted about a decade ago and was expected to put Kenya at the same level as other tech cities in the world, including India’s Bangalore, has, however, been slow to materialize.
Once operational, the city will be able to attract software developers, university campuses focused on research and technology, hospitals, schools, high speed mass transport system, a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) park among other world class amenities. It is also meant to put Kenya on the global spotlight as Africa’s premiere techno hub.
The City is expected to unlock the unemployment gridlock in the country heightened by the coronavirus pandemic. Mr. Tanui emphasized that through interdepartmental consultations, the Government will Fastrack construction of Thwake Dam to ensure Konza city gets enough water required for its growth.
