MICE Industry leaders, County government of Nakuru officials, and key stakeholders from across the business events ecosystem in Kenya, convened at The Encore Nakuru, for the Africa MICE Investors and Stakeholders Round Table – Destination Nakuru Edition.
Hosted by the Africa MICE Summit in partnership with The Encore Nakuru, the event successfully charted a strategic roadmap for the decentralization and strategic growth of the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) sector across Kenya. The Round Table highlighted the growing importance of regional destinations such as Nakuru in expanding Kenya’s MICE offering and demonstrated how quality hospitality infrastructure, destination experiences and strategic partnerships can unlock new opportunities for tourism, trade and investment.
In attendance was the Nakuru County Government represented by John Koech, Chief Officer of Tourism; Betty Ichan, Director of Market Development, Kenya Tourism Board; Doris Rwebangira, Chairperson, ICCA Africa Chapter; Kezy Mukiri, Founder Africa MICE Hub and convener Africa MICE Summit; Jeff Mukolwe, Hotel Team Lead, The Encore Nakuru; Barry Clemens, CEO, Hospitality EQ; and many other key MICE Stakeholders. Throughout the discussions, participants explored key issues influencing the future of Kenya’s business events industry, including destination competitiveness, investment attraction, infrastructure development, technology adoption, bid readiness, public-private collaboration and the decentralization of business events through the ‘MICE Mashinani’ agenda.
MICE Mashinani is a strategy by the Kenyan government that decentralizes business events, moving the conferences out of major cities and into rural and local communities. The program integrates local cultures, traditional arts, and regional festivals into the business tourism sector.
Through this and other initiatives, both the national and county government commits to advancing the MICE industry. Industry remarks John Koech, Chief Officer of Tourism, Nakuru County Government; “The Country government of Nakuru is committed to growing the MICE industry not just in destination Nakuru but the whole country by improving infrastructure, exploring investment opportunities and creating a collaborative environment.” MICE Mashinani is a strategy by the Kenyan government that decentralizes business events, moving the conferences out of major cities and into rural and local communities.
The program integrates local cultures, traditional arts, and regional festivals into the business tourism sector. Through this and other initiatives, both the national and county government commits to advancing the MICE industry. Industry remarks John Koech, Chief Officer of Tourism, Nakuru County Government; “The Country government of Nakuru is committed to growing the MICE industry not just in destination Nakuru but the whole country by improving infrastructure, exploring investment opportunities and creating a collaborative environment.”
Kezy Mukiri, Founder, Africa MICE Hub and Convener, Africa MICE Summit “The Africa MICE Investors & Stakeholders Round Table continues to demonstrate the power of bringing industry leaders together to develop practical solutions for advancing Kenya’s MICE industry. The recommendations from such forums directly contribute to building Africa’s MICE ecosystem for trade, investment and innovation.” Jeff Mukolwe, Hotel Team Lead, The Encore Nakuru “We are delighted to host this important industry engagement at Encore Hotel.
The Round Table not only showcases Nakuru’s growing potential as a MICE destination but also reinforces the role of regional destinations in driving tourism, investment and sustainable growth within Kenya’s business events industry.” The recommendations from the Nakuru Round Table will contribute to the agenda of the Africa MICE Summit & Awards 2026, where government leaders, investors, tourism authorities, hospitality professionals, event organizers and development partners from across Africa will continue the conversation on building a stronger business events ecosystem for the continent.
The Africa MICE Summit & Awards 2026 will take place on 1–2 October 2026 at the Tembo International Convention Centre, Mombasa, under the theme: “Building Africa’s MICE Ecosystem for Trade, Investment and Innovation.” As preparations for the Summit continue, Africa MICE Summit remains committed to providing year-round platforms that foster dialogue, research, professional development and strategic partnerships to advance Africa’s Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions industry. Kezy Mukiri, Founder, Africa MICE Hub and Convener, Africa MICE Summit “The Africa MICE Investors & Stakeholders Round Table continues to demonstrate the power of bringing industry leaders together to develop practical solutions for advancing Kenya’s MICE industry.
The recommendations from such forums directly contribute to building Africa’s MICE ecosystem for trade, investment and innovation.” Jeff Mukolwe, Hotel Team Lead, The Encore Nakuru “We are delighted to host this important industry engagement at Encore Hotel. The Round Table not only showcases Nakuru’s growing potential as a MICE destination but also reinforces the role of regional destinations in driving tourism, investment and sustainable growth within Kenya’s business events industry.”
The recommendations from the Nakuru Round Table will contribute to the agenda of the Africa MICE Summit & Awards 2026, where government leaders, investors, tourism authorities, hospitality professionals, event organizers and development partners from across Africa will continue the conversation on building a stronger business events ecosystem for the continent.
