Inside the Sh38 billion sports, hotel and entertainment complex coming to Nairobi Railway City

Nairobi is set to get a new 10,000-seat indoor sports and entertainment arena as part of a proposed $294.49 million (about Sh38.14 billion) mixed-use development at the Nairobi Railway City precinct, bringing together sports, hospitality, retail, entertainment and conference facilities in the heart of the capital.

The project is being developed by Zaria Group, the Pan-African sports and entertainment infrastructure company co-founded by Kenyan-Nigerian basketball executive Masai Ujiri, who was appointed president and alternate governor of the Dallas Mavericks in May 2026.

Zaria's local development partner is Metroarena Development Company Limited, while Helios Sports & Entertainment Group, part of Helios Investment Partners, is among the investors backing Zaria Group. Helios acquired a stake in Zaria in June 2023 to support the investment and operation of African lifestyle real estate.

The Nairobi project forms part of the wider 172-hectare Nairobi Railway City redevelopment, but the Zaria development itself will occupy approximately 6.8 hectares around the Nairobi Railway Station area.

The first phase will centre on a 10,000-seat multi-purpose indoor arena, according to the project's environmental and social impact assessment.

The venue is designed for a range of uses, including indoor sports, basketball tournaments, concerts, conferences, exhibitions and cultural events.

But the arena will only be one component of the development.

The plans provide for a 140-key branded hotel and a 70-key serviced apartment tower, alongside retail facilities, restaurants, food and beverage outlets and leisure uses.

The development will also contain sports-related public activation zones, a public plaza and spectator gathering area, a green pedestrian boulevard, an amphitheatre and event steps or public performance space.

Parking structures will either be located below, integrated into or form part of the podium, while the project will include servicing and loading areas, emergency access, back-of-house facilities and vertical circulation.

The ESIA describes the podium's public walkway as a raised pedestrian boulevard lined with retail and commercial functions. Landscaping, different floor textures, shading, lighting, wayfinding, public art and smart infrastructure are also incorporated into the plans.

The proposed development area in the environmental documents is approximately 54,706 square metres, while the wider project site is identified as approximately 68,210 square metres, or 6.8 hectares.

The development is intended to serve a wider urban and economic purpose beyond providing another sports venue.

According to the project's objectives, the arena is intended to help catalyse urban regeneration, improve connectivity and contribute to the transformation of Nairobi's CBD and Railway City precinct.

It is also being positioned as part of Kenya's Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) infrastructure, providing a venue capable of hosting large international and local events.

The project therefore combines an indoor sports facility with accommodation, retail, hospitality and public spaces rather than operating as a standalone stadium.

The development is located alongside active railway infrastructure, with the site bounded by active rail corridors to the north and a Kenya Power substation to the east.

It will be accessible from several major transport routes, including Haile Selassie Avenue, Workshop Road through Bunyala Road and Uhuru Highway/Expressway.

The wider Railway City project is intended to transform Nairobi Central Railway Station into a multimodal transport hub incorporating rail, bus rapid transit and non-motorised transport.

The Presidency says the wider development is intended to support more than 400,000 commuters daily by 2030.

The Nairobi arena is part of Zaria Group's broader strategy of developing sports and entertainment districts across African cities.

Ujiri co-founded Zaria Group and has used his experience in global basketball and sports development to build an infrastructure model combining venues, hospitality and entertainment.

His appointment as Dallas Mavericks president and alternate governor in May 2026 came several months before the latest details of the Nairobi development emerged.

The Mavericks say Ujiri oversees the franchise's basketball operations, including roster construction, player personnel and scouting.

Helios Sports & Entertainment Group acquired its stake in Zaria in 2023. According to Helios, Zaria comprises QA Venue Solutions, which focuses on venue management and event operations, and Zaria Court, its sports and entertainment infrastructure development business. Its existing clients include the NBA, FIFA and FIA.

The Kigali model behind Nairobi project

Zaria's first major development was Zaria Court Kigali, a mixed-use sports, hospitality and entertainment development that opened in 2025.

The development sits next to Kigali's BK Arena and Amahoro Stadium and includes hospitality and event facilities.

Zaria says the Kigali project was developed with partners including Helios Sports and Entertainment Group, the Rwanda Social Security Board and Bank of Kigali.

The Rwanda Development Board had earlier described Zaria's vision as developing sports and cultural hubs that could act as catalysts for jobs, businesses and wider economic activity.

The Nairobi development is considerably larger in value than the reported $26 million Zaria Court Kigali project, making the Railway City arena a major expansion of the company's model.

A major milestone was reached on April 10, 2026, when Zaria Group and Kenya Railways Corporation signed a long-term lease agreement for the arena and entertainment district at State House Nairobi, with President William Ruto witnessing the signing.

The lease gave the project a formal development framework within Railway City.

However, the arena is not yet constructed. The project is still subject to the environmental approval process, with the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment forming part of the regulatory process.

The project developers and government have projected substantial economic activity from the development, including construction, hospitality, retail, events and the wider creative economy.

Earlier project announcements put the potential employment impact at more than 25,000 jobs annually across construction, operations, hospitality, retail and related activities.

That figure is a project projection rather than an independently verified employment outcome.