Microsoft's Nairobi Africa Development Centre Reportedly to Close: Company Cites Global RestructuringMicrosoft's Nairobi Africa Development Centre Reportedly to Close: Company Cites Global Restructuring
Key Highlights
- Employees report that Microsoft has told staff its Africa Development Centre in Nairobi will close, although the company has not confirmed the closure or said how many jobs are affected.
- The company links the changes to a global restructuring that has affected its Kenyan engineering department and says it will keep operating in the country and supporting regional customers.
- The centre launched in 2019 with a pledge of about KSh 13B ($100M) over five years and 500 engineers, and ICT Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo has pressed for job protection.
Microsoft's Africa Development Centre in Nairobi, a seven-year engineering effort launched with a pledge of about KSh 13B ($100M), is reportedly set to close.
Employees say the company has told staff the centre will shut, but Microsoft has not confirmed the closure, so it should be treated as reported rather than settled. A spokesperson said the changes form part of a global restructuring that has affected its Kenyan engineering department, and that Microsoft will keep operating in Kenya.
What Microsoft has and has not said
The spokesperson said the company "will continue supporting its customers in the region". Microsoft has not disclosed how many people are affected, when their roles end or what severance will be paid.
It is also unclear whether Microsoft Research Africa and the Microsoft Garage, which share the centre's office in Westlands, are included in the changes.
ICT Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo met a Microsoft delegation on the same day as the report. Afterwards he said he had pressed the company to protect jobs at the centre.
Seven years since the pledge
Microsoft opened the Africa Development Centre in May 2019 with sites in Nairobi and Lagos, pledging about KSh 13B ($100M) over five years and 500 engineers by 2023. The teams wrote code for Microsoft's global products, including identity, Microsoft 365, Windows and security tools.
By December 2022 the company reported more than 500 engineers in Nairobi and more than 200 in Lagos. The Lagos site closed in May 2024, when Microsoft said the Kenyan centre was unaffected.
Mwenendo earlier reported on how Kenya's digital economy forecast depends on skills and connectivity, the same pitch a closure would test with foreign technology investors.
The wider Microsoft picture
Microsoft's headcount fell by 5,000 to 223,000 by the end of June 2026, its first annual decline since 2016, and a round in July cut about 4,800 roles. In June 2024 Microsoft and G42 announced a KSh 130B ($1B) package for Kenya centred on a geothermal data centre at Olkaria; that facility has not been built, and talks have reportedly stalled since May 2026.
Under Kenya's Employment Act, statutory severance is at least 15 days' pay for each completed year of service, plus notice. Whether affected engineers receive more will depend on terms Microsoft has not yet published.
Google and Amazon opened engineering centres in Nairobi in 2022 and 2023, so the market for displaced engineers is not empty. The next signal to watch is a formal Microsoft statement on the centre's future and its staff.
In Summary
- Who is affected?
- Engineers at Microsoft's Africa Development Centre in Nairobi; the number affected has not been disclosed.
- What has been reported?
- Employees say staff were told the centre will close; Microsoft has not confirmed this.
- When did this emerge?
- The report surfaced on 13 October 2026; the centre opened in May 2019.
- Where is the centre?
- In Westlands, Nairobi, alongside Microsoft Research Africa and the Microsoft Garage.
- Why is Microsoft making changes?
- A spokesperson said the changes are part of a global restructuring affecting its Kenyan engineering department.
- How has the government responded?
- ICT Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo met a Microsoft delegation and pressed for job protection.
