Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti has urged both local and international investors to take advantage of the numerous investment opportunities, ample returns on investment and improved business environment in the county.
Speaking on April 17 at the Machakos International Convention Centre when she hosted investors in a round table meeting attended by Cabinet Secretary for Investment, Trade, and Industry Rebecca Miano and Principal Secretary State Department for Industry Dr Juma Mukhwana, the Governor assured investors that her administration has put in place sound policies for supporting investment and her government as well is keen on improving key infrastructural facilities to support industrial growth.
The Governor said her administration was also leveraging on the proximity of the County to the capital, Nairobi, in order to attract investment traffic driven by availability of industrial space and friendly tariffs.
“Machakos is strategically located within major transport infrastructure, including the Standard Gauge Railway, the Meter Gauge Railway, the Nairobi Expressway, as well as the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway and the Nairobi-Namanga Highway, all connecting Machakos to Nairobi City, the hinterland, and the Coast,” said Wavinya.
These features, she noted, had contributed immensely in making Machakos one of the leading industrial counties in Kenya. According to available data, in 2023, Machakos contribution to overall manufacturing in the Kenya stood at 7.8 per cent coming fourth after Nairobi 36.9 per cent, Mombasa 9.6 per cent and Kiambu 8.4 per cent.
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Wavinya cited key flagship projects including the Export Processing Zone in Athi River and the Kenya Leather Park in Kinanie, Athi River, as well as the Konza Technopolis as one of the key establishments that are likely to further open up the county to world-class investments.
She pointed out her administration was racing against limited budgetary allocations to strategically focus on critical areas around improvement of roads network as well as industrial parks.
“My Government has allocated KSh250 million towards the construction of the Machakos Aggregation and Industrial Park (CAIP). The facility, which is coming up at the new Machakos City, will create opportunities for aggregation and value addition for domestic and export markets,” she said.
Speaking in the same forum, Deputy Governor, Francis Mwangangi asked investors to give local residents priority in jobs allocation. “We urge all investors to consider making use of the available labour in Machakos before importing it from other counties. In doing so, they will be helping the county administration address the rampant unemployment in the county,” he said.
CS Miano said President William Ruto’s Government was focused on promoting Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs), terming them critical in unlocking the problem of unemployment in the country.
“The Government will continue to work with (SMEs), which comprise the backbone of our economy, through initiatives such as the recently launched Karibu Business Centres, which will provide comprehensive business registration and facilitate service,” said the CS.
By Gastone Valusi
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