Konza city to get connected to two independent fiber links by March 2017

Konza city will be connected to two independent fiber links by March 2017.

This is according to a tweet posted on the Konza Techno CIty Twitter platform, @konzatechnocity.

In earlier updates, the hub had already tapped into the National Optic Fibre Backbone Infrastructure (NOFBI), which will see the techno city connected with three separate high speed internet infrastructure.

On completion, the techno city which is lying between the abundant submarine cable bandwidth and Nairobi city will be connected by several backbone fibre optic cables, making it one of the most connected tech hub in Africa

In a long term plan, Konza’s strategic location will allow the city to be directly connected to all four underwater fiber optic cables in Kenya. These high capacity lines will ensure high connection speeds, allowing companies and residents to enjoy video, data, and voice internet capabilities. The city’s privileged location will also ensures access to any further improvements in Kenya’s fiber optic infrastructure.

In addition the National Treasury will pump Ksh1.5 billion annually to The Public Research University to be established in Konza Techno City. According to information from Konza Technopolis Development Authority (KOTDA), the public research university will be established by the Kenyan government in partnership with the South Korean government.
KOTDA further the National Treasury will begin making the allocations in the 2019/2020 financial year for the project which is 60Km from Nairobi city.

According to MyGov The Ministries of Education and that of Information, Communications and Technology also want the National Treasury to further set up a Ksh1.5 billion endowment fund to ensure the financial sustainability of the university. KOTDA Chief Executive Officer Eng John Tanui said in Nairobi that the money will go towards salaries for the faculty and staff, scholarships, operational and maintenance costs.

Plans to establish the Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) were first announced in May last year following a meeting between President Uhuru Kenyatta and South Korean President, Park Guen-hye. At the time, Seoul committed to invest Sh.10 billion in the university which will be modeled in line with the vision and principles which guided the establishment of Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.

The first phase of the project kicked off and will comprise of an office building constructed at a cost of Sh1.9 billion. One of the floors in the eight-story building will be reserved for incubation hubs while another will be set apart for the Konza Technopolis Development Authority (KOTDA) offices.

The Authority is also planning to set up a five-star hotel with conference-hosting facilities in the second phase of the project. The hotel may be managed by a private sector firm.
This is the first structure to come up on the site of the 5,000-acre techno city. Over the next two years, the government expects construction at the site as investors begin work on parcels of land set to be allocated early next year.

Konza Techno City, a Ksh1.48 trillion project, is part of the government’s long-term goal to shift the country to a knowledge economy by 2030.