Ruto Appoints Former MP As Konza Technopolis Board Chair
President William Ruto has appointed Abdul Bahari Ali, a former Isiolo South Member of Parliament, as the next Non-Executive Chairperson (NEC) of the Konza Technopolis Development Authority (KoTDA) Board.
The appointment, announced in a Gazette Notice dated June 5, takes effect immediately, giving Ali a three-year term at the helm of Kenya’s main smart city initiative.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by paragraph 5 (1) (a) of the Konza Technopolis Development Authority Order, 2012, I, William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, appoint– ABDUL BAHARI ALI as the Non-Executive Chairperson of the Board of the Konza Technopolis Development Authority, for a period of three (3) years, with effect from the 5th June, 2026,” stated the notice.
Ali takes up a position that has been empty since the death of his predecessor, Prof. Raphael Munavu, who died on April 24, just weeks after being reappointed to the same position in March 2026.
President William Ruto has appointed former Isiolo South MP Abdul Bahari Ali as Non-Executive Chairperson of Konza Technopolis Development Authority for a three-year term.
He replaces the late Prof Raphael Munavu and is expected to advance Kenya’s Silicon Savannah agenda. pic.twitter.com/5bBCAQiDzL— The Daily Whistle (@TDWhistle) June 7, 2026
Prof. Munavu had been steering the implementation of Kenya’s ambitious ‘Silicon Savannah’ initiative before his untimely death, which left a leadership vacuum at the helm of the board.
With the appointment now formalised, Ali is expected to take over and continue driving Kenya’s vision of building a world-class technology hub on the outskirts of Nairobi.
The new KoTDA chair is no stranger to public service, having represented Isiolo South Constituency in Parliament for a decade, from 2003 to 2013, first under the Kenya African National Union (KANU) and later under the Jubilee Coalition.
During his time in the National Assembly, Ali served on some of Parliament’s most influential committees, including the Budget, Public Investment, and Local Authorities and Funds Committees.
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Beyond the legislature, he served as the Chief Administrative Secretary for the Ministry of Devolution and Arid and Semi-Arid Lands, deepening his experience in government administration.
Ali also harboured political ambitions beyond Parliament, having made a run for the Isiolo County gubernatorial seat in the past election cycle, losing to the United Democratic Alliance’s (UDA) Abdi Ibrahim Hassan.
KoTDA oversees the development of Konza Technopolis, a multi-billion-shilling smart city project designed to position Kenya as a leading technology and innovation hub across Africa.
The multi-billion-dollar project aims to establish Kenya as Africa’s premier technology and innovation hub by driving job creation, economic growth, and a knowledge-based economy.
Ruto Appoints Former MP As Konza Technopolis Board Chair
