Tatu City’s senior leadership has held talks with Deputy President Prof. Kithure Kindiki to share lessons from its mixed-use Special Economic Zone (SEZ) operations and explore potential collaboration with the government on investment promotion and coffee sector reforms.
Stephen Jennings, CEO and Founder of Rendeavour, the developer of Tatu City, led the discussions, accompanied by the Tatu City management team. The meeting also brought together key government officials, including Abubakar Hassan Abubakar, Principal Secretary in the State Department for Investments; Dr. Kenneth Chelule, CEO of the Special Economic Zones Authority (SEZA); and directors from the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA).
As one of Kenya’s largest coffee producers and the biggest miller of Kenyan coffee, Tatu City underscored its willingness to partner with the government to strengthen the Kenyan coffee brand globally, enhance value addition, and improve export competitiveness.
“The Kenyan coffee brand has unmatched potential,” said Jennings. “By combining the efficiency of SEZs with strategic partnerships, we can take it to the world while creating more opportunities locally.”
The Deputy President welcomed the discussions and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to growing SEZ policy, promoting investment, and revitalizing the coffee sector.
Tatu City, Rendeavour’s flagship development in Kenya, hosts more than 25,000 people daily who live, work, and study within its community. It is home to over 100 companies, either operational or in development, representing more than KSh 400 billion in investments from Kenya, the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Norway, the United Arab Emirates, New Zealand, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, and South Africa. The city also counts major international institutions among its backers, including the World Bank, African Development Bank, British International Investment, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, Finnfund, Norfund, Soros Economic Development Fund, and Grand Challenges Canada.
Businesses operating in Tatu City include Emirates Logistics, Heineken, Cold Solutions, FullCare Medical SEZ Limited, CCI Global, Dormans, Kärcher, CKL, Naivas, NCBA, Grit Real Estate Income Group, Hewatele, Freight Forwarders Solutions, Tamarind Group, ADvTECH, Friendship Group, Bakels, Novis, and Davis & Shirtliff.
Companies setting up in the Tatu City SEZ enjoy a range of incentives, including a 10% corporate tax rate for the first decade and 15% for the following 10 years, compared to the standard 30%. They also benefit from VAT zero-rating on goods and services, as well as exemptions on import duty and stamp duty.
