Chamber plans major Thika convention and business school
Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry National Chairman’s Kiprono Kittony. PHOTO | FILE | COURTESY
What you need to know:
The chamber was given the green light in June this year to establish a business college which will offer 13 diploma and higher diploma courses.
Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) plans to set up a multi-million-shilling convention centre in Thika that will also house a school of business.
The chamber’s chair Kiprono Kittony said the centre will be built on land along Garissa Road. “KNCCI owns 20 acres of land within the municipality of Thika along Garissa Road and we are looking for a strategic partner to create the largest exhibition and conferencing facility in East and Central Africa,” said Mr Kittony.
He added that valuation of the land will take place shortly after the chamber’s trustees establish total inventory of its assets, after which they will go out and seek potential investors. KNCCI is also fighting to reclaim properties lost to grabbers, including a hotel sitting on a five-acre prime piece of land along a major Nairobi road.
Mr Kittony said the mega conferencing facility will go a long way in helping Kenya match standards set by the rest of the world. “Kenya, being where it is now, is strategically positioned to be the leader in exhibitions and fairs in the region.”
The Kenyatta International Convention Centre is the largest exhibition facility in the country. KNCCI and the government are racing to bridge a supply gap through its resort cities infrastructure projects.
The chamber was given the green light in June this year to establish a business college which will offer 13 diploma and higher diploma courses. Some of the subjects will include accounting, business information system, marketing management, shipping and logistics, and entrepreneurship. The Thika facility will be the second commercial project to be undertaken by KNCCI since its revival last year.
The chamber is currently in the process of renovating its headquarters at Ufanisi House into an ultra-modern building. On completion, some floors in the building will be rented out to generate additional revenue. Tenants were evicted from the building early this year to pave way for refurbishment of the building located on Haile Selassie Avenue.
The chamber will finance the remodelling of Ufanisi House using a bank loan and internally-generated revenues. The cost of construction has not been disclosed but KNCCI said the process will take 18 months. At present, the KNCCI offices are currently situated at Hetiran House in Hurlingham.
