Talanta Sports City set for 4-star hotel and mall as KFS bids close

An artist's impression of Talanta Sports City along Ngong Road.

The Kenya Forest Service in November floated a tender and outlined the requirements for bidders seeking to establish and operate a 4-star hotel and a shopping mall within Talanta Sports City.

Talanta Sports City is being developed as a premier sports and events facility, primarily hosting major football and rugby matches.

The 60,000-seat stadium, designed to international standards, is set to serve as a key venue for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), including potentially the final match.

Beyond football and rugby, the multi-billion-shilling complex will also host concerts, cultural events and national celebrations.

The Sh45 billion facility, Kenya's newest sporting complex located along Ngong Road, Nairobi, is expected to be completed in two month's time.

External works are expected to wrap up by December, with the stadium set for full operations by February 2026.

The KFS is mandated to conserve, develop and sustainably manage forest and allied resources for the social and economic development of the country.

In its tender Bid No. KFS/01/2025-2026, dated November 7, 2025, the service specified that the project covers the development, design, financing, construction, operation and transfer of a 4-star hotel and a shopping mall within the complex.

"This hotel will constitute the first phase planned hotel facilities on the same KFS land, designed to complement and serve Talanta Sports City," the tender document states.

Apart from the proposed 4-star hotel and shopping mall, the complex is expected to accommodate a cluster of hospitality facilities tailored for sports-related activities.

These are intended to enhance sports tourism and strengthen Nairobi’s position as a regional events hub.

"The 4-star hotel will serve as the initial anchor facility in a phased programme of multiple hotels to be developed on the same parcel of KFS land," the tender document further states.

Future phases may include additional hotels of varying categories and capacities that blend harmoniously with the surrounding forest environment while meeting KFS’ conservation and economic objectives.

The 4-star hotel will be developed on a three-acre plot, while the shopping mall will be allocated five acres.

Interested bidders were allowed to submit tenders for one or both lots, with Lot 1 for the hotel and Lot 2 for the mall under the same tender number.

KFS said upon completion, it plans to grant successful bidders Special Use Licences under the Forest Conservation and Management Act, 2016, for a period of 40 years.

The supply chain management department said the tendering process was conducted under an Open International Competitive method using a standardised tender document.

All bids were required to be quoted in Kenya shillings and accompanied by a tender security of Sh50,000,000.

Submitted tenders were to remain valid for 154 days from the date of opening.

Submission of tenders closed on November 20 at 11 am, and bids were opened immediately after the deadline.