Nairobi — President William Ruto has reaffirmed the transformational potential of the Bomas International Conference Center (BICC), positioning it as a key engine for tourism and business events growth in Kenya.
Speaking at the launch of the Jamhuri Thematic Week themed around Wildlife, Tourism, and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions), the head of state said the new facility will reshape Kenya’s status as a premier international destination.
“I can now confidently tell you that by April next year, we will have built the largest conferencing facility in East and Central Africa, right at the Bomas of Kenya. It is being built 24 hours because I have given a timeline that we must begin to make money from that facility by May next year,” Ruto said.
“It has already been booked for the France-Africa Summit on May 12, 2026. I am very confident that with the infrastructure we are building and the creativity we are putting around our tourism products, we can now reengineer our product as Kenya so that it speaks to the holistic offerings that we have.”
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The ambitious BICC, an 11,000-seat, four-storey convention facility, is expected to elevate Kenya into the league of global MICE destinations.
However, the project has not been without controversy.
In 2025, the development sparked public debate after former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua alleged that Bomas of Kenya had been sold to a Turkish national as part of the upgrade plan, claims swiftly refuted by the government, which maintained the property remains state-owned and the works are purely renovation and expansion.
Members of Parliament also raised concerns over funding transparency and unclear budget allocations for the project’s upgrade, underscoring the need for greater oversight.
Ruto stressed that conference tourism demands have changed and that Kenya must expand its conferencing infrastructure beyond aging facilities such as the Kenyatta International Convention Centre to remain competitive.
