County signs deal to put up tomato factory in Kirinyaga

Kirinyaga County government has signed an agreement with an investor who will establish a tomato processing factory in the upcoming Sagana Industrial Park.

The industrial park that will sit a 242-acre land at Sagana, is designed to support micro, small and medium enterprises to engage in domestic and international trade through export diversification and value addition.

Once fully operationalised, the factory will have the potential to employ over 4,000 youths directly, with a ripple effect of up to 10,000 employment opportunities.

Governor Anne Waiguru who spoke while giving the State of the County Address on Friday, said the local tomato production has risen from an annual amount of 46,000 metric tonnes in 2017 to 116,000 metric tonnes in 2022, raking in Sh6.9 billion for farmers.

This, she said, has been achieved through programmes that support farmers' capacity in production areas such as seedlings propagation, switching to high-yielding tomato seedlings which are also disease tolerant, and investing in modern technologies such as greenhouse production, and drip irrigation.

The investor who will invest under the Sustainable Urban Economic Development programme, a UK-government supported programme that supports market driven growth in 12 municipalities, will commence the process of setting up the factory immediately.

Waiguru said the factory will reduce post-harvest losses which is the biggest challenge faced by tomato farmers who have been losing up to 40 per cent of their harvest. 

It will process all locally produced tomatoes, guaranteeing farmers a ready market and increased returns.

Waiguru said the county is strategically positioning farmers to be the top suppliers of raw materials for processing industries are will be put up in the county.

“Through the Wezesha Kirinyaga programme that is Kirinyaga’s version of the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda, we have supported more than 50,000 households to produce more and increase their earnings from agriculture.”

The county has so far disbursed Sh380.2 million to support farmers’ groups and farmers’ cooperatives.

Waiguru said the county is in the process of formalising agreements with other investors who will put up multi-billion shilling milk and meat processing factories, as well as coffee warehousing at the Industrial City.

Out of 34 investors who had expressed interest to invest within the Industrial City, 14 investors have been successfully evaluated for the Special Economic Zone out of whom seven are in assorted industries, one four-star hotel and spa and six in County Aggregation and Industrial City.

Three other investors have been evaluated for the Export Processing Zone.

The governor said the industries will provide the much-needed market and bring in better earnings for the farming community.

To further support Export Processing Zone and the County Aggregation and Industrial Parks, the county has constructed 15 fresh produce aggregation centres for farmers with another three in the process of being constructed.

Waiguru added that construction of the county seedling propagation unit in Kangai ward is expected to be completed by the end of this financial year, to support farmers in accessing affordable and quality seedlings in their backyard.

Other achievements by the county government include the opening of Kerugoya Level 5 Hospital, construction and equipping of 20 dispensaries, laying of over 50 square meters of cabro in all major towns and the establishment of a fire station.

About 70 water projects have also been implemented to supply both domestic and irrigation water  and 1,000km of roads graded and murramed.

The administration has also constructed 21 markets and is in the process of titling land in 11 colonial villages to provide security of tenure to residents.