The government has, for the first time, revealed the price tag for the Bomas of Kenya reconstruction and the contracting firm, with Defence Principal Secretary Patrick Mariru disclosing that it will cost the taxpayer at least Sh42 billion to transform the country’s cultural facility, at a meeting with MPs.
The government had maintained a tight lip about the operations at the Bomas, which are geared towards transforming the cultural facility into the Bomas International Convention Centre (BICC), a premier meeting venue for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) on the continent and even beyond.
Rwanda’s Kigali Convention Centre (KCC), considered one of the most expensive buildings in Africa, serves as a premier venue for MICE, which BICC draws similarities from, costing USD300 million, about Sh38.9 billion.
It started in 2009, completed in early 2016, and was inaugurated by the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, on July 8, 2016.
The construction of BICC, currently at a 35 percent completion rate, sits on a 12-acre land.
The construction works is a 14-month duration, from March 19, 2024, with completion expected by June 2026.
However, at a meeting with the National Assembly Tourism Committee, PS Mariru let the cat out of the basket after the members demanded answers.
The ongoing work at the Bomas International Convention Centre in Nairobi.
Photo credit: PCS
The PS’s disclosures were, though, marred by inconsistencies, especially on the mode of financing, whether it was the biggest MICE facility on the continent and why it was taking a shorter period compared to KCC.
This, as BICC’s ability to host the May 11-12, 2026, Africa-France conference, the first outside a Francophone African country, is in serious doubt despite roadside pronouncements by President William Ruto.
Initially, PS Mariru had told the committee chaired by Maara MP Kareke Mbiuki that the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife was financing the BICC project.
“The project cost is USD324 million sourced by the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife. They have told us that the money is available,” said PS Mariru, noting that the contractor is China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), a Chinese firm.
The Chinese firm, which has subcontracted other entities, is working under the supervision of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF).
But the PS was reminded by Ijara MP Abdi Ali Abdi that the cost of the works had not been factored in the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife 2026/27 fiscal year expenditure projections as per the 2026 Budget Policy Statement (BPS) that was considered by the committee and adopted by the House.
“We considered the Ministry’s expenditure projections for the next financial year and I can tell you that it does not have the BICC budget,” said Mr Abdi.
An audience follows proceedings during the Third National Wage Bill Conference at Bomas of Kenya on April 17, 2024.
Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation Media Group
At this point, PS Mariru shifted his thoughts and said that the project is a public-private partnership (PPP) venture financed through the securitization of the Tourism Fund (TF) and Tourism Promotion Fund (TPF) levies.
The PS noted the payment is done in milestones, with 20 percent of the cost already paid.
“The two funds were securitized to raise the initial capital, an innovative way of raising money. But in terms of specifics, it will be good for the committee to engage the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife,” said the PS after Likuyani MP Innocent Mugabe sought clarifications about BICC’s financing model.
A presentation that the PS had taken members through showed that BICC is bigger than the Kigali Convention Centre (KCC).
But when the PS was asked why BICC was costing more, he said: “we don’t have the statistics on KCC.”
“In terms of comparisons to KCC, I will need to check,” the PS told the committee, in what raised doubts about his earlier presentation.
However, what took the MPs aback is President Ruto’s roadside declaration, as affirmed by PS Mariru that the BICC will be completed in time to host the Africa-France conference.
An entrance to Bomas of Kenya in Nairobi on December 20,2025
Photo credit: Evance Habil | Nation Media Group
This, even as it emerged that while the bidding for the hosting rights of such conferences is done individually by the MICE facilities, it emerged that BICC may not have submitted its bid.
Already, indications show that the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), which the PS said has no capacity to host such a high-level international meeting, has submitted its bid.
“We know the Africa-France conference will be done, but hosting is another issue. That is why we are jittery, especially on the protocols involved, but we remain optimistic,” said Mr Mbiuki, adding, “two months down the line, and we are still in the construction mode.”
However, the PS told the committee that “the president has committed that the summit will be held at the facility”, but did not confirm if BICC had bid to host the conference, an indication that KICC will likely host it.
“KICC cannot take Kenya to where we need to be. BICC will put the country on the radar of the world in terms of hosting conferences. It’s a premier convention centre,” the PS assured.
