TECHNOPOLIS DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY INVITES YOUTH TO DESIGN NEW NATIONAL LOGO

By Faith wanza mueni 

NAIROBI, Sept. 2, 2026 — The Technopolis Development Authority (KoTDA) has invited young Kenyan creatives to participate in a nationwide competition to design a new logo that will represent the agency’s expanded national mandate.

The competition, dubbed “Designing the Symbol of Kenya’s Innovation Future,” targets creative designers aged 18 to 35 from all 47 counties and seeks to give young Kenyans an opportunity to shape the visual identity of the country’s newly established national technopolis agency.

The Technopolis Development Authority, formerly the Konza Technopolis Development Authority, was established following the enactment of the Technopolis Act, 2026. The legislation expanded the agency’s mandate from overseeing Konza Technopolis to planning, developing, managing and promoting technopolises across the country.

According to the Authority, the expanded mandate has created the need for a distinct national identity separate from Konza Technopolis, which remains its flagship project under Kenya’s Vision 2030 economic blueprint.

The new logo is expected to have a national appeal while retaining the credibility and identity built around Konza Technopolis over the past decade.

The Authority said the initiative is deliberately taking a participatory approach by engaging Kenyan youth directly rather than outsourcing the design process to a design firm.

The competition will draw on the creativity and innovation of young Kenyans, particularly those who have benefited from the Jitume Digital Enablement Programme, an initiative that provides digital skills, access to online work opportunities and pathways into the digital economy.

“We are inviting Kenyan youth in the creative community to help shape the identity of the Technopolis Development Authority, an institution that represents where our country is going,” said John Paul Okwiri, Chief Executive Officer of the Technopolis Development Authority.

“This is more than a logo competition; it is an opportunity for young designers to shape a national identity for the environments where innovation, enterprise, research and investment can thrive,” he added.

ONE MILLION SHILLINGS IN PRIZES

The Authority has set aside a total prize fund of Sh1 million for the competition, with the overall winner set to receive Sh300,000.

Shortlisted entrants will also receive cash prizes, with details to be published on the competition portal.

Beyond the financial rewards, selected participants will benefit from structured mentorship by experienced creative professionals. The mentorship will expose emerging designers to brand development, design thinking and creative entrepreneurship.

The programme is intended to nurture young talent and help designers develop sustainable careers within Kenya’s growing creative economy, while supporting the Government’s efforts to turn digital and creative skills into economic opportunities and livelihoods.

The winning logo will be unveiled publicly later this year and will mark the formal launch of the Technopolis Development Authority’s new visual identity and expanded national mandate.

Entries are currently open, with the closing date expected to be announced during September 2026 through the official competition portal.

Each submission must include a primary logo mark, a black-and-white version, light and dark-background applications, a concept explanation of not more than 150 words, and three sample applications, which may include a letterhead, social media profile and building signage.

The Authority said a full brand manual is not required at this stage, as it is looking for a strong visual concept that can eventually develop into a broader institutional identity.

EXPANDED ROLE IN KENYA’S DIGITAL ECONOMY

The Technopolis Act, 2026 gives the Authority a strengthened statutory foundation to plan and develop technopolis infrastructure, allocate land to investors, operate a one-stop shop for regulatory and licensing services, and coordinate research and innovation ecosystems in partnership with universities and the private sector.

All existing rights, contracts and obligations of the former Konza Technopolis Development Authority remain in force.

“Our mandate is not only to manage a city,” Okwiri said. “It is to build and sustain the institutional platform that turns Kenya’s investment in technopoles into measurable, broad-based economic value, and this identity will represent that mandate to the country and the world.”

The Authority’s anchor project, Konza Technopolis, is a Government of Kenya flagship initiative located about 60 kilometres southeast of Nairobi along the Nairobi-Mombasa corridor.

The Authority provides enabling infrastructure, governance, investment facilitation and one-stop-shop services to businesses, researchers, innovators and institutions seeking to establish and compete within Kenya’s knowledge economy.

Meanwhile, the Jitume Digital Media Factory, under the Jitume Digital Enablement Programme, continues to equip young Kenyans with practical digital, creative and remote-work skills.

Through a network of Jitume Digital Hubs established across the country, the programme provides access to digital training, content creation tools and online work opportunities.

Jitume aims to establish 1,450 digital hubs across Kenya, with the long-term goal of creating a nationwide ecosystem for digital skills development, employment and entrepreneurship.

The programme is implemented by the Technopolis Development Authority under the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy, in partnership with the Communications Authority of Kenya, the ICT Authority and the National Government Constituencies Development Fund.