Kenya plans mega conference centre

PLANS are under way for the
Kenyan government to construct
a 5 000-seat international
convention centre in Mombasa.
Kenyan Tourism Minister, Najib Balala,
said the government was looking
for land in the coastal city to build a
modern conference centre in a bid to
attract more international meetings.
The conference project, he added,
might start any time this year if the
government got suitable land within
Mombasa county.
The Minister said that the proposed
conference centre was Kenya’s Vision
2030 flagship project, which aimed to
uplift tourism at the coast.
He said the facility would have
spacious conference rooms, offices,
modern furniture and equipment to
create an enabling environment for
international events.
“International meeting organisers
prefer to hold conferences in Mombasa
due to its beautiful beaches, warm
weather and the Indian Ocean,”
he said. “Unfortunately, Mombasa
doesn’t have a convention centre,
forcing organisers to take meetings
elsewhere. That’s why the government
is determined to build the facility
this year.”