President William Ruto has appointed former Isiolo South Member of Parliament Abdul Bahari Ali as the new Non-Executive Chairperson of the Konza Technopolis Development Authority (KoTDA) Board.
Gazetted on June 5, the appointment takes immediate effect, with Ali serving a three-year term leading Kenya’s flagship smart city initiative.
The notice read, “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 Defense 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.”
Ali assumes the position following a vacancy left after the death of his predecessor, Prof. Raphael Munavu, who passed away on April 24, only weeks after being reappointed to the role in March 2026.
In his non-executive role, Bahari Ali will be responsible for providing strategic leadership, strengthening accountability, and facilitating coordination between KoTDA and government institutions that oversee funding and policy direction.
The new KoTDA chair, Abdul Bahari Ali, brings extensive experience in public service, having served as MP for Isiolo South between 2003 and 2013 under KANU and later the Jubilee Coalition.
In Parliament, he sat on influential committees including Budget, Public Investment, and Local Authorities and Funds, gaining experience in fiscal oversight and governance.
He later served as Chief Administrative Secretary in the Ministry of Devolution and Arid and Semi-Arid Lands, expanding his administrative portfolio. Ali has also previously vied for the Isiolo County gubernatorial seat, losing to UDA’s Abdi Ibrahim Hassan.
KoTDA oversees the development of Konza Technopolis, a multi-billion-shilling smart city initiative designed to position Kenya as a leading technology and innovation hub in Africa.
The flagship project seeks to establish the country as the continent’s leading hub for technology and innovation, while also transforming the economy and creating more job opportunities.
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