Kenya’s Tatu City shares SEZ development lessons with COMESA Secretariat

The Secretariat of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) recently visited Tatu City Special Economic Zone, a 5,000-acre mixed-use development located near Nairobi, to exchange knowledge on SEZs.

During the visit, the delegation discussed various aspects of SEZ design, taxation, regulatory framework, infrastructure requirements, planning, and development with trade and SEZ experts from Tatu City.

Tatu City’s Executive Vice President, Solomon Mahinda, expressed his interest in sharing knowledge with other COMESA member states.

“Our mission at Tatu City is to appreciate and learn from a team that has already established a functioning mixed-use SEZ,” said Mr. Mwago. “This is a great opportunity for governments to learn from the private sector, measure ourselves against a successful developer such as Tatu City and see how we can expand SEZ developments in Kenya and other COMESA nations.”

The COMESA delegation was impressed with Tatu City’s mixed-use vision and expressed its intention to adopt the right policies to help member countries establish similar developments to promote trade and regional market access.

Last year, Ugandan MPs visited Tatu City to learn about mixed-use SEZs, and recently, the Kenyan government also visited the development as it looks to establish industrial parks and SEZs in all 47 counties.