A proposal has been tabled to develop a Sh27.8 billion biotechnology and pharmaceutical manufacturing park at Konza Technopolis as Kenya seeks to reduce reliance on imported medicines and strengthen its position as a regional drug manufacturing hub.
The proposed Biotech Life Sciences Park is set to undergo a feasibility study after a privately initiated proposal by APIFA Biotech was approved to move to the project development stage under a public-private partnership arrangement.
According to a report by the National Treasury’s Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) Directorate, the proposed facility will be developed within the Konza Technopolis special economic zone, which covers Machakos, Makueni and Kajiado counties.
APIFA Biotech submitted the proposal to the Konza Technopolis Authority seeking to establish the pharmaceutical manufacturing park, which is expected to support local production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and finished medicines.
The facility is expected to produce APIs, which are the chemical or biological substances in medicines responsible for their therapeutic effects, alongside finished pharmaceutical products once it becomes operational.
“The project entails the establishment of a pharmaceutical manufacturing hub in Konza for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) production, biotechnology innovation, and life-science industrialisation,” the PPP Directorate said in its progress report for the period ended June 30.
“The PIP was approved in April 2026 for the project to progress to the Project Development/Feasibility Study stage. The Project Development/Feasibility Study is ongoing.”
The project is expected to support Kenya’s ambition to become a regional pharmaceutical manufacturing centre by promoting biotechnology research, life sciences innovation, and local production of medicines.
It also seeks to address the country’s dependence on imported APIs, which are mainly sourced from India and China. This reliance was exposed during the Covid-19 pandemic when disruptions in global supply chains led to shortages of essential medicines.
APIFA Biotech is majority-owned by API For Africa (APIFA) Limited. This Nairobi-based non-profit organisation holds a 70 per cent stake in the company and promotes local manufacturing of APIs and other health products across sub-Saharan Africa.
The proposed park is based on the bulk drug park model used in India, where pharmaceutical companies share common facilities instead of each manufacturer investing in costly infrastructure.
The approach allows companies to reduce production expenses while improving compliance with required standards.
If approved, the Biotech Life Sciences Park will be implemented in two phases.
The first phase will focus on developing the basic infrastructure required to establish the science park.
“This phase will include the establishment of a centralised logistics hub to streamline supply chains and distribution, laboratories and testing services to support quality assurance and regulatory compliance, and regulatory support services to ensure adherence to both local and international standards,” the PPP Directorate said.
The park will also have shared equipment and waste treatment facilities to help manufacturers reduce costs while meeting environmental requirements.
The second phase will involve bringing in manufacturers who will set up and operate production units within the park, according to the PPP Directorate.
The facility is expected to manufacture a wide range of pharmaceutical products, including antibiotics, vaccines, biologics, APIs and excipients, which are inactive substances used in drug formulation.
It will also produce diagnostic equipment and medical devices while providing contract manufacturing, packaging, and research and development services to support growth in the pharmaceutical sector.
The proposed project comes as Kenya continues efforts to reduce spending on imported medicines while increasing local production.
Kenya reduced expenditure on imported medicinal and pharmaceutical products by 23.52 per cent in the first quarter of the year, marking the second consecutive year of decline as the country works towards manufacturing half of its essential medicines locally by the end of the year.
Between January and March, Kenya spent Sh15.6 billion on medicinal and pharmaceutical products, down from Sh20.4 billion during the same period last year, according to the latest data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.
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