Nairobi is set for a major addition to its sports and entertainment infrastructure after Zaria Group, co-founded by Dallas Mavericks president Masai Ujiri, signed a long-term lease with Kenya Railways Corporation to develop a 10,000-seat indoor arena at Nairobi Railway City.The proposed project, valued at approximately Ksh38.2 billion ($294 million), will form the centrepiece of a wider sports, entertainment and mixed-use development in the heart of the capital. Download our Mozzart Sport App for more newsThe lease agreement was signed in April 2026 at State House, Nairobi, with President William Ruto witnessing the signing between Zaria Group and Kenya Railways. The project is part of the wider 172-hectare Nairobi Railway City redevelopment around Nairobi Central Railway Station. ##NAJAVA_MECA_9980516##An Environmental and Social Impact Assessment identifies Zaria Group as the project proponent, with its local subsidiary, Metroarena Development Company Limited, serving as the development partner. Helios Sports & Entertainment Group is also involved in the project. The first phase will focus on the 10,000-capacity indoor arena and supporting infrastructure. The wider development is planned to include a 140-room hotel, a 70-unit serviced apartment tower, retail and office spaces, restaurants, leisure facilities, a public plaza, green pedestrian areas, an amphitheatre and parking facilities. Kenyan fighters steal the show at ANZA Pro Nights 3 eventThe arena is designed as a multi-purpose venue capable of hosting basketball and other indoor sporting events, concerts, conferences, exhibitions and cultural programmes. It would give Nairobi an additional purpose-built indoor venue for major events, complementing existing facilities such as the indoor arenas at Nyayo Stadium, Kasarani and Ulinzi Sports Complex.The project is yet to move into construction, with the development undergoing the required environmental and regulatory approval processes. For Ujiri, the development represents an extension of his involvement in African sports infrastructure beyond his NBA career.The Kenyan-Nigerian basketball executive joined the Dallas Mavericks in May 2026 as team president and alternate governor, taking charge of the franchise’s basketball operations, including roster construction, player personnel and scouting. Before joining Dallas, Ujiri spent 12 years with the Toronto Raptors, where he served as president of basketball operations and helped oversee the franchise’s historic 2019 NBA championship. Eliud Kipchoge on why the marathon record will keep fallingHe previously worked with the Denver Nuggets, becoming the first African general manager in a major American professional sports league and winning the NBA Executive of the Year award in 2013. His connection to Africa has also extended into sports development and infrastructure. Zaria Group’s portfolio includes involvement in Kigali Sports City, which features Rwanda’s 10,000-seat BK Arena and the 45,000-seat Amahoro Stadium. The Nairobi project follows a similar model of combining sport, entertainment, hospitality and commercial activity around a major arena. Kenyan tennis star crashes out early in Italian tournamentSpeaking at the April signing, Ujiri described the Nairobi project as an economic development opportunity for the city and the continent, while government officials highlighted its potential to provide new platforms for sports, entertainment and youth development. If completed as proposed, the Railway City arena would add a new 10,000-seat indoor venue to Nairobi’s growing sports and entertainment landscape, with the wider development positioning the facility as a hub for sporting events, live entertainment, business conferences and cultural programmes.
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