Barclays, Coca-Cola bosses join Konza board

Career banker James Agin and marketing professional Elias Yano have been appointed to sit on the Konza Technopolis Development Authority (KoTDA) board for three years.

This follows their appointments by Information, Communications and Technology cabinet secretary Joe Mucheru that were published in last Friday’s Kenya Gazette.

The two are replacing development economist and Africec International Consultancy executive director James Atema and ex-UAP Holdings chief executive Dominic Kiarie.

Mr Agin is the director of corporate banking at Barclays Bank while Mr Yano has served at Rift Valley Bottlers regional sales manager.

Other board members include building economist Haron Nyakundi, lawyer Victoria Jepkemoi Chepseba, Investment banker Mbithe Muema, Caroline Wangui Kariuki and engineer Kaburu Mwirichia. The board is chaired by Reuben Mutiso, an architect.

The KoTDA board is tasked with overseeing and fasttracking the development of the 5,000 acre multi-billion shilling technopolis that targets to contribute about two percent to the Kenya’s GDP once phase one is operational. Last June, CS Micheru said Konza’s first phase was progressing well where a masterplan for a 400 acre parcel was under implementation.

Upon completion, the development which includes KoTDA’s Sh1.5 billion headquarters will include residential and commercial complexes that are expected to be used by about 30,000 residents, 7,500 knowledge workers and 16,700 other workers upon completion.

Mr Mucheru said priority projects include construction of roads and bridges, water, sewer and stormwater pipes as well as designing of the Konza National Data Centre.

The planned development mooted by the Kibaki regime 15 years ago has since attracted private funding for establishment of Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (Kenya Kaist), modelled after the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (Korea Kaist).

This follows signing of a memorandum of understanding last February where Kenya allocated South Korea a 22 acre plot at Konza to put up a Sh10 billion graduates-only information technology university.