Plans are under way for the Kenyan government to construct a 5 000-seat international convention centre in Mombasa.

Kenyan Tourism Minister, Najib Balala, said the government was looking for land in the coastal city to build a modern conference centre in a bid to attract more international meetings. The conference project, he added, might start any time this year if the government got suitable land within Mombasa county.

Balala noted that the proposed conference centre was Kenya’s Vision 2030 flagship project, which aimed to uplift tourism at the coast.

He said the facility would have spacious conference rooms, offices, modern furniture and equipment to create an enabling environment for international events.

“International meeting organisers prefer to hold conferences in Mombasa due to its beautiful beaches, warm weather and the Indian Ocean,” he said. “Unfortunately, Mombasa doesn’t have a convention centre, forcing organisers to take meetings elsewhere. That’s why the government is determined to build the facility this year,” he added.

Addressing tourism stakeholders in Mombasa, the Minister said hotels in the region would be busy as delegates would be accommodated in the beach resorts.

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