Construction of the County Aggregation and Industrial Park (CAIP) in Kirinyaga is nearing completion, marking a major milestone in the county’s journey toward becoming a regional hub for agro-processing and industrial development.
The facility, located within the Sagana Agro-Industrial suburb, which is a designated Special Economic Zone (SEZ), will go a long way in supporting value addition, strengthening agricultural value chains and creating employment opportunities.
Currently, the construction of eight warehouses has attained 86 per cent completion. These include two warehouses for cold rooms, two for aggregation and four for value-addition, a step that signals steady progress toward full operationalisation of the facility.
Speaking in Kariti Ward, Ndia Constituency, where the project is domiciled, Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru said the project is projected to create massive job opportunities, especially for youth and women, once investors begin operations.
She noted that the Industrial Park will provide farmers with a structured system for aggregating produce, preserving it through modern cold storage facilities and channelling it into value-added industries within the Park.
“Those who grow avocados will have a place to supply their produce, as we will have an avocado oil factory. Those cultivating tomatoes will have their tomatoes processed into tomato paste. Those will be more than 100,000 indirect jobs, while more than 10,000 direct jobs will go to our youth and women in Kirinyaga,” she stressed.
Waiguru said the project is one of the county’s flagship economic transformation initiatives and will play a central role in strengthening Kirinyaga’s agricultural economy and positioning Kirinyaga as an emerging manufacturing and agro-processing hub in the region.
She noted that the integrated approach is expected to significantly reduce post-harvest losses while opening up new markets for farmers by linking agricultural production to processing and manufacturing, sealing from end-to-end her vision for the Wezesha Kirinyaga agro-economic empowerment programme.
“The Industrial Park will attract investors who will establish agro-processing factories at the facility, creating a reliable market for local farm produce and boosting incomes for farmers across the County. Other investment opportunities include logistics, packaging, warehousing and other industrial activities linked to the facility,” she said.
Waiguru also thanked the National government for supporting the establishment of the facility, noting that collaboration between the two levels of government has been instrumental in accelerating the implementation of the initiative.
A Monitoring team from the Ministry of Trade and the Office of the Deputy President visited the county to assess the project’s implementation status and were impressed by the progress achieved.
Kirinyaga is among the fastest counties in the implementation of the County Aggregation and Industrial Park project. Besides developing the CAIP, the County government has also been working to ensure that supporting infrastructure within the Industrial Park is also developed, among them being dykes to protect the Park against flooding from the Sagana and Ragati rivers.
By Mutai Kipng’etich
