The government of Kenya has announced plans to construct an agro-industrial park in Uasin Gishu County, a move expected to boost farming. The project will be under the Alliance for Sustainable Urban Development in Africa (Dasuda) programme. It will sit on a 45 acre of land located in Moi’s Bridge Township and undertaken by AgroHub in partnership with Dutch investors and Uasin-Gishu County government.
“This park located along the border between Kakamega, Uasin Gishu, Elgeyo-Marakwet and Trans Nzoia counties targets investors in avocado, potatoes, fresh produce, dairy and grain value chains. Seed companies, animal feed manufacturers and other firms in the sector like traders in North Rift, Western, Nyanza and neighbouring counties are also a target,” said Tim Chesire, one of the project developers.
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Manufacturing sector in Kenya’s Vision 2030
Mr. Chesire also said that the park will be similar to the US $2m Pearl River Special Economic Zone project launched in 2017 in Ainabkoi, Uasin-Gishu County. Pearl River is set to be completed in the next 18 months and sits on a 700-acre parcel of land, close to Eldoret International Airport and Eldoret CBD. It is a partnership between DL Group of Companies and Selenkei and Cendate Solar.
Upon completion the park is expected to also attract more food processing companies with an eye on the regional and international export markets. The Agrico East Africa that produces potato seeds is one of the firms that have shown interest in setting up industries in the economic zone.
The role of the manufacturing sector in Kenya’s Vision 2030 is to create employment and wealth. The sectors overall goal is to increase its contribution to the GDP by at least 10% per annum as envisaged in the Vision 2030. The government therefore intends to construct more industrial parks in Nairobi, Kisumu and Nakuru.