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Kenya struggles to give life to futuristic 'Silicon Savannah' city

Construction site of the Konza City Complex  (Photo: John Muia)

Labourers milled around an unfinished eight-storey building in an expansive field in Konza dotted with zebra and antelope - the only visible sign of progress in a decade-old plan to make Kenya into Africa’s leading technology hub by 2030.

Grandiose plans, red tape and a lack of funding have left Konza Technopolis - the $14.5 billion new city to be built some 60 km (37 miles) southeast of Nairobi - way behind schedule on its goal of having 20,000 people on site by 2020.

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