Two Rivers Finance and Innovation Centre Granted Strategic Status by Government

The Two Rivers International Finance and Innovation Centre (Trific) in Nairobi’s northern corridor has been designated a project of strategic national importance, placing it under direct national government oversight.

The State Department for Lands and Physical Planning, under the Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development, conferred the status, exempting the 64-acre Special Economic Zone (SEZ) from county-level planning approvals. Trific will now engage directly with the Cabinet Secretary for Lands on all physical planning matters.

The designation followed a formal inspection under Section 69(4) of the Physical and Land Use Planning Act, 2019, which allows the national government to assume authority over projects with significant economic impact. Trific qualifies under regulation 4(d), which applies to privately developed SEZs, confirming its strategic importance within Kenya’s investment landscape.

The shift is expected to accelerate Trific’s development, including Grade A office towers and mixed-use facilities. It will reduce delays associated with county-level approvals for master plan amendments, land use changes, lease renewals, and construction permits. Investors benefit from greater predictability and faster project delivery, key factors in emerging market investment decisions.

“This will translate to a faster approval of Trific projects and processes, assuring our investors of timely delivery,” said Brenda Mbathi, Trific’s chief executive.

She added that the strategic status would strengthen investor confidence and enhance capital returns. Trific SEZ, a wholly owned subsidiary of Centum Investment Company listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange, is already home to global firms including Teleperformance, Technobrain, and Dalberg.

The SEZ, located near Two Rivers Mall along the Nairobi–Limuru corridor, was licensed in June 2023 and currently offers 150,000 square feet of fully occupied Grade A office space, with plans to expand to 1.2 million square metres.

Companies operating within Trific benefit from fiscal incentives, including stamp duty exemptions and a preferential corporate tax rate of 10 percent on domestic income for the first ten years. These measures, combined with streamlined planning oversight, are expected to boost Kenya’s attractiveness to foreign investors.

Centum’s subsidiary, Two Rivers Land Company (SEZ) Limited, plans to launch a US dollar-denominated income Real Estate Investment Trust (I-REIT). The fully occupied Trific North Tower will serve as the first asset, marking a shift towards institutional-grade real estate investment.