Nairobi is set for a 10,000-seater indoor sports and entertainment arena as part of a $294.49 million (Sh38.14 billion) Railway City development that will mirror Rwanda’s model of using a multipurpose venue to attract major sporting, business and entertainment events.
The planned arena will form the centrepiece of the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) Core Centre being developed at the Nairobi Railway Station area, with a hotel, serviced apartments, retail outlets and other entertainment facilities planned around it.
The development is being undertaken by Guernsey-headquartered Zaria Group through its local subsidiary, Metroarena Development Company.
The project forms part of the wider 172-hectare Railway City redevelopment initiative that seeks to expand the capital’s capacity to host major sporting, business and entertainment events, disclosures on the project showed.
“By stimulating commercial activity and attracting local and international events, the MICE-Core Arena is expected to catalyse growth in the tourism and MICE economy and investment in the surrounding precincts,” the disclosure said.
The project will partly draw from Rwanda’s experience. After construction, the Kenyan arena will be operated by QA Venue Solutions, a Zaria Group management affiliate that already manages the 10,000-seat BK Arena and Amahoro Stadium in Kigali.
Management contracts for the Nairobi facility are set on renewable 15-year terms, with the intention that QA Venue Solutions will continue managing the arena indefinitely.
The Nairobi project comes as African cities compete for international sporting tournaments, concerts, conferences and exhibitions, with modern venues increasingly being developed as commercial and tourism assets.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is, for instance, developing a 20,000-seat Kinshasa Arena, which is being positioned as one of Africa's largest indoor venues. The project, estimated at $105 million (Sh13.6 billion), is designed to host basketball, concerts, exhibitions, and other major events.
The DRC arena will exceed the scale of BK Arena and the Dakar Arena in Senegal (15,000 capacity), both of which have become key assets in attracting international competitions and entertainment programming such as the Basketball Africa League (BAL).
Kenya hopes to benefit from such events. Rwanda’s BK Arena, which cost about $104 million (Sh13.5 billion) and was opened in August 2019, describes itself as the largest fully covered arena in East Africa.
The BK Arena hosted the inaugural BAL season in 2021 and the league's playoffs and finals in subsequent years. It has also hosted other major entertainment events, including American R&B singer Ne-Yo, who performed at the venue in 2019.
Kenya hopes to replicate similar success by using its arena to benefit from the growing sports, entertainment and events economy that also grows tourism.
Kenya Railways' Nairobi Central Station.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
Details of the planned project in Nairobi show the centrepiece will be a five-storey, multi-purpose indoor arena with a seating capacity of up to 10,000 people, depending on the event configuration.
The sports arena is designed to accommodate sporting activities such as basketball. However, the document shows the facility is also planned for conferences, banquets and other events, giving it a wider commercial use beyond sports.
The arena will have an estimated built-up area of 11,680 square metres, comprising 5,575 square metres for seating and arena functions and another 4,045 square metres for back-of-house facilities.
The development will be supported by a three-level public podium, with the ground and first floors dedicated to parking. The second floor will provide the main public realm, including a central pedestrian boulevard connecting different parts of the development.
The plans also provide for retail outlets, restaurants, food and beverage facilities, leisure uses, sports-related public activation zones and a public plaza for spectators and visitors.
An amphitheater and public performance space are also planned alongside parking structures, servicing facilities, landscaping, lighting, wayfinding and smart infrastructure.
The hotel component will comprise a 140-key branded facility, while the serviced apartment tower will provide 70 units. The combination of the sports arena with the hotel, apartment, and parking lot makes the development a mixed-use destination.
The location is intended to give the project access to Nairobi’s main transport corridors while placing it immediately south of the central business district. The site can be accessed through Haile Selassie Avenue, Workshop Road via Bunyala Road and Uhuru Highway.
The project is part of the government’s broader plan to transform the railway station area into a multi-modal, transit-oriented urban centre incorporating commercial, residential and transport infrastructure.
“The project will contribute to increased government revenue through various tax streams and statutory levies associated with both the construction and operational phases of the proposed development plus long-term land-lease revenue and a gross revenue share to Kenya Railways Corporation,” the Kenya Railways Corporation disclosure said.
The Nairobi Railway City is a green city of office blocks, malls, and a light industrial hub aimed at decongesting the city’s central business district, and was initially meant to be completed by 2027.
The project will involve the installation of approximately 45kilometres(km) of new track in and around the yard of the present central railway station, including fittings and concrete sleepers.
An aerial view of Nairobi City overlooking the Kenya Railways Headquarters.
Photo credit: Francis Nderitu | Nation
The upgrade will also entail the construction of a new station management block, a new accommodation block to the east of the station entrance, refurbishment of the existing station building, four new passenger platforms, including refurbishment and expansion of the existing platforms, food and beverage outlets, and repurposing and refurbishment of the Easy Coach House heritage building.
The project will further involve the establishment of a new freight marshalling yard at Makadara yard and the installation of approximately 11km of new track, including fittings and concrete sleepers.
