Some 3000 people, the majority of them youth, are working round-the-clock to deliver the new Bomas International Convention Complex (BICC) in Nairobi, one of its kind in Africa.

A flagship of President William Ruto, the new Bomas has become a key source of employment for the youth and a first-time visitor would be mistaken to think that people are coming out of a political rally during change of shifts because of the sheer numbers.

During a stopover a few days ago, the Head of State was gratified to see a big number of young people involved in the construction works, assuring them that their jobs are safe because more mega projects will soon be rolled out.

“We appreciate the hardworking men and women driving our transformation forward. Their dedication, commitment and skills bring us closer, day after day, to making Kenya a dream nation of young Kenyans,” the President said.

“We will continue to roll out labour-intensive programmes to expand opportunities for millions of young Kenyans,” he said, adding: “The project employs up to 3,000 workers daily and is on track to be completed later this year.”

The BICC is the second local project to employ such a big number of people in recent times after the 60,000-seater Talanta Stadium which is now approaching completion.

Lieutenant-Colonel Wilfrida Amondi, who is also the Project Officer, said phase one of the project which includes the construction of the convention center is now at 40 percent complete.

Describing it as the most consequential project for the country, Lit-Col Amondi said the convention, the largest in Africa, has a capacity of 11, 000 people.

“For example, it has a 3,500 capacity auditorium, a 5,000 capacity convention hall, 1,500 ballroom, and many meeting rooms, over 20 meeting rooms, which totals to 11,000,” said Lit-Col Amondi.

“Once the convention hall is complete, we are going to have so many business opportunities and so many visitors coming in to host and showcase their products. So this is going to open up the business market in not only Kenya, but also East and Central Africa,” she added.

In an interview, BICC Acting Chief Executive Officer Jimmy Okidiang said that phase one of the project which started 19 March, 2025 has become a major source of income for many people who are employed at the site.

According to him, once complete, the BICC will play a crucial role in the growth of the economy citing direct and indirect jobs as well as boosting transport, hospitality and agriculture sectors of the economy.

“This is a game changer to this country regionally and in the world. We are having other regional countries that are having smaller facilities, but for facilities of this magnitude, it will be a game changer to the country and by extension in Africa,” he said.

“We are having a capacity of 3,000 workers who are currently on the site. Noting that the new convention complex is more than three times bigger than the older facility which was brought down, Okidiang said they will hire more staff once it is completed. We appreciate the government of the day for having had this idea of the development of this flagship project that will have a major impact on Nairobi, Kenya and regionally, he affirmed. He said the workers were working in shifts, adding that the facility is already drawing attention globally because of the magnitude of the project.

“We have other economic impacts that this particular facility will have, not necessarily to those who are working within this area, but the impact will escalate to the rest of the other factors within the economy,” he stated.

“We will have farmers who will be able to supply their farm produce to the facility for purposes of development of food items and so on,” he pointed out.

One such worker, Shadrack Kimgena, expressed his excitement after landing a job at BICC shortly after leaving Talanta Stadium. “When my contract at Talanta ended, I came here and I was lucky to be taken,” he said.

He called upon the youth to stop waiting for white-collar jobs and push themselves hard so that they can earn some money. “As a Kenyan I want to advise them to push hard and work so that they can earn a living,” said Kimgena.

He heaped praise on President Ruto and the Deputy President Kithure Kindiki for rolling out big projects and creating employment opportunities for the youth.

“If next year we also get construction like this or a project like this, we will be thankful as Kenyans,” he added.

Agnetta Chepkorir who works as a mason said: “This job has helped us a lot. It has helped me a lot because the pay is better here, so I am excited to work here.”