KenGen on Wednesday, June 10 announced the official gazettement of its Green Energy Park in Olkaria as a Customs Controlled Area, marking a significant milestone that unlocks the Park’s full operational status as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and enables investors to access the customs and tax incentives provided under the SEZ framework.
The designation was granted to KenGen Energy Services (SEZ) Limited through Kenya Gazette Notice No. 8412, published by the Commissioner of Customs and Border Control on 5 June 2026 under the East African Community Customs Management Act, 2004.
This milestone activates the tax incentives available to investors under the Special Economic Zones Act, 2015, transforming the Park into a fully operational industrial and investment ecosystem.
The Customs Controlled Area designation legally treats the KenGen Green Energy Park as a distinct customs jurisdiction. All goods entering, moving within, or exiting the zone are subject to clearly defined customs procedures, monitored entry and exit points, and regulated compliance systems.
Customs stations, designated gates, bonded handling systems, and compliance mechanisms are now legally enforceable components of the park’s operations. For investors and operators, this status unlocks tangible SEZ benefits that include streamlined import and export processes, duty and tax efficiencies on qualifying inputs, faster cargo clearance, and simplified regulatory oversight. In practical terms, it removes the regulatory uncertainty that often exists before full SEZ operationalization.
Speaking during the announcement, KenGen Managing Director and CEO Eng. Peter Njenga described the gazettement as a major boost for the Green Energy Park and a key step in KenGen’s strategy to leverage its geothermal resources to catalyze industrial growth and support Kenya’s green industrialization agenda.
“The gazettement of the KenGen Green Energy Park as a Customs Controlled Area is the operational key that turns our vision into reality. The designation under Kenya Gazette Notice No. 8412 unlocks the full SEZ investment framework at Olkaria, cementing the park’s position as Africa’s foremost geothermal-powered industrial hub,” said Eng Peter Njenga. Eng.
Njenga added: “Global industries are increasingly seeking stable, low carbon production environments. The KenGen Green Energy Park offers exactly that, a single investable ecosystem where renewable energy, trade facilitation, and industrial policy converge.”
The Park has already onboarded five investors across strategically significant sectors including data centres, green fertilizer production, electric mobility, steel fabrication, logistics, and manufacturing. Each investment is anchored by the availability of reliable, low carbon baseload power, underscoring KenGen’s strategic shift from electricity generation to enabling industrial development.
As the global transition to low carbon industrial production accelerates, the KenGen Green Energy Park stands as a model of how renewable energy, trade infrastructure, and industrial policy can converge to create a compelling investment destination. It also demonstrates that Kenya is ready to lead this transition.
The KenGen Green Energy Park in Olkaria, Naivasha, is a special economic zone designed to host energy-intensive industries that require access to clean geothermal power, water, and land.
The Park offers investors a competitive package of green energy, infrastructure, and a conducive business environment, supporting Kenya’s Vision 2030 goals and the national industrialization agenda.
