Kenya’s Konza Technopolis has won the Smart Gigacity Excellence Award at the World Broadband Association (WBBA) Broadband Excellence Awards 2026 held in Vienna, Austria, on Wednesday, October 14.
The State Department for ICT and the Digital Economy received the award after Kenya’s entry was selected from an international shortlist of telecommunications operators and government ministries.
The award recognises Konza Technopolis as a model for smart urban development, integrating high-speed connectivity, artificial intelligence (AI) and digital infrastructure to improve city management and service delivery.
Developed by the Technopolis Development Authority (TDA), Konza is a flagship project under Kenya’s Vision 2030 development agenda. Commissioned in October 2025, the city also serves as the physical home of the country’s digital government.
Kenya’s Ambassador and Deputy Head of Mission in Vienna, Valerie Rugene, received the award on behalf of the Principal Secretary for ICT and the Digital Economy, Eng. John Tanui, and the Government of Kenya.
Konza’s infrastructure includes a 79-kilometre fibre backbone connecting businesses, institutions and homes, public Wi-Fi and 141 smart poles equipped with CCTV cameras and environmental sensors.
These systems feed into the city’s Intelligent Operations Centre, which integrates 600 cameras and 12 Intelligent Transportation System sites to monitor urban activity and help authorities respond to congestion, incidents and service disruptions.
The city also features smart drainage systems, a wastewater reclamation facility that recycles up to 90 per cent of treated water and an automated underground waste collection system described as the first of its kind in East and Central Africa.
The waste system transports about 40 tonnes of waste daily through a 14.8-kilometre pipeline, reducing reliance on collection trucks. Konza’s energy infrastructure is supported by a 120-megawatt smart substation, with the city’s power system designed to deliver 99.9 per cent reliability.
The Konza National Data Centre provides secure cloud computing and hosting services for government agencies and businesses. The facility hosts more than 100 public and private institutions and is among Kenya’s facilities designed and constructed to Uptime Institute Tier III standards.
Konza’s growing ecosystem also includes the Open University of Kenya, the Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and Riara University, linking education and research with enterprise and innovation. More than 1,000 affordable housing units are also under construction.
In accepting the award, Ms Rugene conveyed Tanui’s appreciation to the WBBA and its judging panel, while acknowledging President William Ruto, Information, Communications and the Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo, TDA and the partners involved in developing the city.
“Kenya accepts this honour not as the completion of Konza’s journey, but as a call to accelerate it and to share a practical, replicable model with cities across Africa,” Ms Rugene said.
She invited international partners to work with Kenya in developing cities that are intelligent, sustainable, inclusive and human-centred.
The recognition comes as the Government advances plans to expand Konza’s Intelligent Operations Centre and develop a public-private partnership to increase cloud capacity. The expansion is expected to connect more than 300 additional public institutions to the Konza platform.
The WBBA brings together telecommunications operators, technology vendors, regulators and research institutions to promote broadband development globally. Its annual Broadband Excellence Awards recognise achievements in network deployment, innovation and user experience.
The State Department for ICT and the Digital Economy is implementing the Government’s digital transformation agenda through the expansion of the national fibre network, digitisation of public services, establishment of digital hubs and development of digital skills and employment opportunities for young Kenyans.
