Centum Investment-owned Two Rivers International Finance and Innovation Centre (Trific) has started attracting investors, weeks after acquiring a special economic zone (SEZ) status.
Trific, which sits on 64 acres or more than half of the Two Rivers development’s total area of 106 acres, was last month granted the SEZ status and now Cetum says investors are already trooping in.
Centum said on Tuesday in a statement that three international companies have now booked more than 9,000 square metres of office space with a pledge to create about 5,400 jobs by the end of the year.
The Nairobi Securities Exchange-listed firm said without giving names that investors from sectors such as business process outsourcing, fintech, insurance, finance and investments have also expressed interest.
The company added that bookings have also started for the upcoming Trific Tower Two. Centum targets to break ground for the tower in September and complete the construction in the fourth quarter of next year.
Centum on Tuesday named Brenda Mbathi, the immediate former president and CEO of General Electric East Africa, as the first Trific CEO.
“Brenda has the skills and vast experience to transform Trific into an investment hub of international repute, she will get our full backing to this noble task,” said James Mworia, CEO of Centum Investment Group.
Ms Mbathi will work alongside Justus Kariuki Mate who has been appointed as the chief operating officer. Mr Kariuki has been the executive vice president at Tatu City—a private SEZ.
Licensed SEZ enterprises enjoy tax incentives such as full exemption from value-added tax, excise duty, import duty and import declaration fee on imported goods and zero-rated VAT on local supplies.
The SEZ firms also enjoy a preferential corporate tax rate of 10 percent in the first 10 years, 15 percent in the next 10 years and 30 percent in subsequent years.
