Konza City: The National Construction Authority (NCA) under the Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development is set to build a modern Centre for Construction Industry Development (CCID) on 6.4 acres at the Konza Techno-Polis in Machakos. The Cabinet Secretary for Lands and Public Works, Alice Wahome, revealed this development while visiting the earmarked site for CCID, a subsidiary for NCA at Konza.
According to Kenya News Agency, Wahome stated that they already have designs in place and are ready to commence the construction of the Modern Center which will feature a research facility for quality and affordable building materials and a Centre of excellence for up-skilling. During the handover of the parcel, Wahome noted that the NCA Board and Konza Board have engaged in discussions and NCA is now authorized by way of a lease agreement by Konza to take over 6.4 acres for developing the CCID, with phase one set to begin on 2.4 acres, estimated to cost Sh 3 billion over three years.
Wahome further explained that the Modern Centre will include a comprehensive research facility focused on cheaper, affordable materials for the construction industry, incorporating current trends while ensuring quality is not compromised. ‘We intend to build a Modern Centre for CCID for Research training on alternative building materials, capacity building, innovative and current technologies,’ said CS Wahome.
The entire project is estimated to cost Sh 9 billion, with potential changes over the years. However, there is an expected return on investment since plans also include constructing a Conference facility, Training Institute, and accommodation at the CCID.
Konza CEO John Okwiri encouraged more investors to participate as 100 acres have already been allocated to various investors who are at different stages of construction, with additional parcels available for other private investors. Okwiri praised the government for achieving its mandate in completing most infrastructures at Konza and for allocating 1,000 units of Affordable housing for phase one, set to start this month, and 2,000 units for phase two, ensuring the population at Konza will have access to secure and comfortable homes.