Inside Tatu City SEZ
Tatu city is the most popular private Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Kenya and also the first to be fully operational since the enactment of the SEZA Act. It now hosts a population of about 250,000 people.
Background:
The development is located about 19km from Nairobi CBD inside Ruiru, Kiambu county and currently owned and developed by Rendeavour. Rendeavour is a private developer backed by international capital (American, British, Norwegian, New Zealand) investors.
The SEZ sits on a 5000 acre piece of land that was originally part of the Belgian Socfinaf coffee farm previously known as Tatu Estate before being acquired by Rendeavour in 2010 whereby it was converted to a mixed use project and rebranded to Tatu City. In 2011, the master planning and development began with a projected investment of about ksh 240 billion and dragged into a long court battle due to shareholder wars until 2017 when the lands committee of the parliament absolved it of any wrong doing. In the same year, it was declared a SEZ under Gazette Notice 4892 and later designated as a project of strategic national importance under Kenya Vision 2030 via Gazette Notice No. 4975.
Development Status:
As of 2025, the SEZ zone boasts of:
- USD 2 billion in cumulative project investment as Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
- 100+ operational commercial entities including warehouses and factories meeting global standards.
- 4000+ apartments and townhouses.
- 350+ acres of serviced land with 400+ serviced plots sold in phases 1-2,expanding to 645 plots in total for residential development.(Kijani Ridge)
- 900+ acres of serviced land dedicated for light industrial and logistics companies. (Tatu Industrial Park)
- Expansive Infrastructure such as 50+ km of tarmac roads, redundant power networks, three independent water sources plus on‑site water treatment, substation and 15+ km of fibre‑optic infrastructure across the city. 30% of the land is reserved for open spaces and parks. There is also the Comte de Beaumont Dam.
- Enclosed social amenities such as 2 international schools (Nova Pioneers and Crawford International) serving 4,500+ students and Tatu City Training Academy which is NITA certified and offers vocational training to 500+ youths with 80% employed within.
- Creation of 25,000 jobs with more in the pipeline.
Operations:
Just like any other SEZ, all incentives are applicable; both fiscal and non fiscal.
In 2021,The SEZ was officially appointed by the World Free Zones Organization (World FZO) as the Kenya representative of the association’s more than 700 global members. The World FZO is a not-for-profit body that provides one authoritative, collective voice representing the interests of free zones around the world with its its headquarters in Dubai.
Being more of a gated community, the area attracts its own special rules such as observation of speed limits, developers to comply with the master plan of the SEZ no littering of the city e.t.c all which have fines if not followed.
Global companies are still expressing interest and committing to set up operation there with the recent development being Jabali Towers which will be a residential complex of 300+ units.
The SEZ has suffered several political tensions with the recent one in 2024 where Kiambu county officials demanded facilitation monies in exchange for approvals. Other notable ones include developer conflicts, all which have been successfully resolved and maintained investor confidence.
Conclusion:
Tatu City SEZ exemplifies the emergence of private city-scale developments within Africa’s evolving urban-economic landscape. Its faster implementation can be attributed to its single-owner model, robust institutional capital, and master developer control, which streamline approvals, land servicing, and project phasing. One of the perfect spotlights for Live – Work – Play narrative.
With Tatu City’s Special Economic Zone benefits, world-class infrastructure, and over 100 businesses, investors are buying into a fully functioning and sustainable city, not a promise.
Stephen Jennings, Founder and CEO of Rendeavour
For more information, reach out to us via info@rickfes.co.ke
At Rickfes Construction Ltd, we are keen to receive and facilitate investors—local or international; seeking to establish their developments into this SEZ. Our role is to be your development partner, liaison and local representative on the ground while in setting up in this SEZ.
