Published on: June 26, 2025 10:05 (EAT)
An air view shows a section of the Technopolis Phase One Project. Photo/citizen digital
As projects in the first phase of the KONKA Technopolis near completion, the silicon -Savannah has accepted sustainability through design through its infrastructure systems.
Technopolis, the technology companies, data centers, residents, learning institutions, hospitals, hospitals, a stadium and other social amenities should accommodate sustainability initiatives in the planning and implementation of projects intelligently in the smart city.
In 2024, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics estimated the ICT sector of Kenya near KSH. 364 billion. Since this value continues to increase, the sector also checks sustainability initiatives that correspond to the energy requirement that will result from technological growth.
To ensure that the Smart City remains green, according to Ms. Josephine Ndambuki, the chief manager, business development and innovation that 30% of technopolis includes environmentally friendly spaces.
“We are in a massive tree-planting exercise and other environmentally friendly efforts,” Ms. Ndambuki told Citizen digitally on a tour of the silicon-Savannah.
According to Anna Musyimi, the chief manager of physical planning, design and conformity, Konza is interested in reaching green standards in all buildings.
His Utility Network currently includes a water recycling plan in which sanitary blocks reuse recycled water from a water treatment plant.
“Buildings have double pipes in their sanitary. A water for non -portable use such as toilet flushing for portable use, water and recycled water,” explains Ms. Musyimi.
Another standard of sustainability lies in energy loss within the silicon -Savannah. Here, an automatic sensor system controls the lighting in common rooms, in which the lights are automatically entered into if necessary and are switched off if necessary.
“The external bust materials also have a time delay for heat transfer to the room,” she adds.
The buildings, says Ms. Musyimi, also have double glazing on their windows to reduce heat loss. In this way, the inmates of the buildings do not have to rely on air conditioning systems if there are high temperatures.
The Smart City also deals with the orientation of the buildings in North/South and East/West and has implemented a stack effect to regulate the temperatures.
After completion, the Smart City plans to organize 3.6 million people, which is why a comprehensive waste management system must be set up.
The technopolis recently introduced one automated system for pneumatic waste. The system developed by Global environmental technology leader EnvacPresent Has the ability to manage up to 40 tons of fixed waste a day, with the waste of the source separated into organic, mixed, plastic categories and paper categories.
The waste management system consists of 100 waste disposal points, a 15-kilometer underground pipe network, 880 automated valves and 220 additional disposal points. It too has Sensor-activated inputs that trigger a vacuum cycle when it is full, and a central waste collection for sorting and shipping.
This system that eliminates the use of conventional garbage bags and trucks is expected to operate the 30,000 inhabitants in the phase of the first projects.
In view of the increasing popularity of artificial intelligence, more generative AI solutions, the amount of electronic waste (e-waste) is expected to increase.
A study published in Nature Computational Science in 2024 predicted a strong increase in e-waste and prediction 1.2-5.0 million tons of waste until 2030.
In Kenya, the 2025 Economic survey of the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shown an increase of e– –WastePresent from 51.9,000 tons in 2023 to 53.6 thousand tons in 2024.
Conca banks in an e-waste management system to ensure the proper removal of the waste for the achievement of environmental payments in technological advances.
According to Ms. Ndambuki, the Technopolis is working on the development of an e-waste management plant that the silicon-Savannah serves and beyond.
In order to be able to implement the e-waste management plan beyond the Smart City, Konza has set up collective points in the digital hubs, which are set up in various constituencies.
The Technopolis also aims to implement the sustainability projects in the 10-kilometer buffer zone within their borders.