Kirinyaga County Governor Anne Waiguru has revealed plans for the Sagana Industrial City, a transformative project expected to create approximately 150,000 jobs once completed.
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony presided over by President William Ruto on August 10, Waiguru revealed that the project will generate around 30,000 direct jobs and an additional 120,000 indirect jobs.
This project is also expected to benefit thousands of local farmers by providing a market for their raw materials, which will be processed and exported
Waiguru while delivering her speech expressed her enthusiasm for the project describing it as a beacon of a “brighter and prosperous future” for the county.
“As we gather to break the ground for Sagana Industrial City, we lay the foundation for what will soon become a thriving industrial hub and a beacon of a brighter and prosperous future for Kirinyaga,” she said.
Waiguru Expresses Her Appreciation to Ruto
She expressed appreciation to President Ruto for granting Kirinyaga with the only Export Processing Zone (EPZ) in the central region, which will attract various supportive industries such as banking, logistics, and ICT among others.
“Supportive industries such as banking, logistics, customs, ICT, security, farm inputs, hospitality, security, fire and disaster management and recreational facilities will also create additional employment avenues,” read the statement.
In addition, President Ruto demonstrated his commitment to the project by pledging Ksh750 million in funding, with Ksh500 million allocated for the EPZ and Ksh250 million for the County Aggregation and Industrial Park (CAIP).
He emphasized that the initiative would increase farmer earnings through value addition and processing, while also creating numerous job opportunities for the youth.
Notably, Kirinyaga County has also invested into the project allocating Ksh 180 million to the CAIP project.
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Amenities Expected in Sagana Industrial City
The Sagana Industrial City will span 242 acres and include a Special Economic Zone (SEZ), affordable housing, and various other facilities such as a four-star hotel, and a 9-hole golf course.
“The SEZ has also been gazetted and currently awaiting gazettement as a custom controlled zone while the construction of 6 warehouses and 2 cold storage warehouses for the CAIP is ongoing and expected to be complete in two months,” said Waiguru.
Furthermore, Waiguru revealed that over 46 investors have already expressed interest in setting up factories within the city, with the first phase of the EPZ focusing on textiles and leather currently underway.
Kirinyaga’s Mountain Cities 2032 Blueprint
This ambitious project aligns with Kirinyaga’s Mountain Cities 2032 Blueprint, which aims to drive industrialization through agro-processing and manufacturing.
Waiguru noted that the CAIP will support local and export industries, targeting agricultural products such as dairy, avocados, and various fruits and vegetables.
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“To ensure maximum benefit from the industrial city, the county farmers have already been mobilized through value chain based cooperative societies for ease of aggregation of produce for contract farming, and processing,” further read the statement.
The Cabinet Secretary for Investments, Trade and Industry, Salim Mvurya committed to oversee the successful implementation of the project.
He said that he would hold regular meetings with county farmers so as to come up with a plan that will see them start delivering their produce for processing.
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