New international convention centre at Bomas set for completion in April 2026
President William Ruto says the Sh31.5 billion Bomas of Kenya International Conference Centre will be completed by April 2026, hosting over 10,000 delegates and replacing KICC as Kenya’s main venue.
A new ultra-modern international convention centre under construction at the Bomas of Kenya is set to be completed by April next year, President William Ruto has announced.
The complex, which will be the first of its kind in the East Africa region, will be named the Bomas of Kenya International Conference Centre and is expected to be finished in April 2026.
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Speaking on Thursday, Ruto indicated that the centre will begin hosting events one month after its completion.
"The facility has already been booked for its first conference, the France Africa Summit, which is expected to take place in May," the president said.
Ruto announced this at the launch of the National Wildlife Census (2025) Report at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC).
On the cards for 25 years
"The Bomas of Kenya International Conference has been on our cards as a nation for the last 25 years. I can now confirm to Kenyans that by April next year, we will have the largest conference facility in East and Central Africa right here," Ruto said.
"Whenever I get a few minutes in the evening, I go there to see because it is being built for 24 hours. I have already given a timeline that we must use this facility and begin to make money from it from May next year, and it has already been booked."
According to Ruto, who expressed confidence in the project, refurbishing Bomas into a state-of-the-art conference facility is part of a strategy to replace the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, which he said no longer meets the standards of a modern venue.
Ruto believes the centre will not only boost Kenya’s economy but also position Nairobi as a leading destination for major conferences in the region.
Destination for major conferences
"This magnificent KICC was built in 1972, and it has taken us 50 years to build another facility because this facility has done us well, but tastes have changed, and conferences need new designs," he said.
The new centre, currently under construction for Sh31.5 billion, will feature two auditoriums, a banquet hall, hotels, and a presidential hall with lounges and VVIP offices, according to architectural plans.
Covering approximately 323,500 square metres, the complex is being built near the intersection of Lang’ata Road and Magadi Road and is designed to accommodate over 10,000 people.
Supporting the main buildings will be a police post and a self-sustaining clinic, expected to serve both visitors and the local community throughout the year.
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