Microsoft is winding down its Africa Development Centre (ADC) in Nairobi, putting nearly 400 jobs at risk, according to TechCabal. Two employees told the outlet that staff at the centre, in Dunhill Towers in Westlands, were called to a meeting on Monday, 12 October, and asked to meet their managers by Friday, 16 October, to discuss exit options, including severance terms.
Another person familiar with the matter told TechCabal that fewer than 10 employees are expected to remain, including staff in sales, recruiting, customer and partner work, and AI for Good.
What Microsoft says
"We are communicating directly with employees in Kenya about proposed changes to our engineering operations," a Microsoft spokesperson told TechCabal. "Microsoft remains committed to Kenya and will continue to have employees in the country." The statement did not confirm a closure, say how many people would stay, or say when the changes take effect.
The same Monday, Kenya's ICT minister William Kabogo met a Microsoft delegation led by Jeff Bullwinkel, its vice president and deputy general counsel for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Kabogo said he pressed the company on protecting jobs at the Nairobi centre. Both sides agreed to draft a joint action plan, Techweez reports, covering AI in government, digital public services, cybersecurity, infrastructure and skills.
Seven years of the ADC
- May 2019: Microsoft announces the ADC with Nairobi and Lagos as its first sites, backed by a planned $100 million over five years.
- December 2022: Microsoft president Brad Smith says the Nairobi centre employs more than 450 engineers, according to TechCabal.
- May 2024: Microsoft shuts the Lagos centre, leaving Nairobi as the last of the two.
- October 2026: Nairobi staff are told to discuss exit options.
Microsoft has not said why. The move follows about 4,800 job cuts it announced in July 2026, roughly 2.1% of its workforce, TechCabal notes, and comes as a planned $1 billion data centre with G42 at Olkaria has stalled over power supply and payment guarantees. No public evidence links the Nairobi decision directly to either.
