Construction of Egerton Agro City to kick off in July

The construction of the Egerton Agro City industrial park will begin in July, setting the journey for Nakuru County to become an industrial hub.

H.E. President William Ruto today said he would join H.E. Governor Susan Kihika to launch the park that will become a game changer in the County in July this year.

“I have informed your Governor that I want to come and launch this industrial park in July,” he said as he launched the upgrading of the 13-kilometre Njoro-Beeston-Nessuit Road to bitumen standard.

Welcoming the President’s announcement, Governor Kihika said the industrial park will create employment for thousands of youth in Nakuru County, trigger manufacturing and provide aggregation centres for farm produce.

“Lord Egerton Agro-City Park embodies the vision of transforming Nakuru County into an industrial hub where our techno-savvy youth, women, professionals and investors will interact to create a platform for “Made-in-Nakuru” manufacturing and innovations. The park is extremely suitable for food processing, assembling agriculture equipment, and a laboratory/research zone. Once completed, the park will attract banks, hotels, housing estates and industries—whose net effect will be far-reaching economic and social benefits—cannot be far from the truth,” she said.

Governor Kihika also said that the industrial park, which sits on a 250-acre piece of land inside the Egerton University Campus will provide an aggregation centre for farm produce to solve the problem of post-harvest losses.

“The industrial park will provide farmers with aggregation centres for their farmer harvests to solve the problem of post-harvest wastage,” she said

The Egerton Agro City park and the KenGen Energy park have been envisioned as the future of industrialization in Nakuru County, which at completion, will attract investors in manufacturing and other business entities that will provide employment to youths and exports to boost not only the economy of Nakuru  County but Kenya as a whole.

Speaking, President Ruto revealed that he had held several meetings with Governor Kihika over the park, with the latest meeting set to take place on Tuesday.

“I recently met your Governor and there is another meeting scheduled for Tuesday regarding the industrial park. And it is not only about the one here, we have earned Naivasha Town an industrial city and are working towards fulfilling those plans,” he said.

He praised Governor Kihika for swiftly moving to provide 500 acres of land to augment the initial 250 acres on which the park will be constructed. The President said already Sh1 billion has been set aside to ensure the construction of the industrial park begins earnestly with further allocation in the budget which will be read in June.

President Ruto assured residents of Njoro and the entire Nakuru County that his administration was focusing on development and cited the launch of the upgrading of the Njoro-Beeston-Nessuit Road, the Beeston-Elburgon Road and the tarmacking of the Mauche-Sururu Roads.

“I have instructed (Transport and Roads Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba) Murkomen and his principal secretary to ensure that these roads are constructed and completed to help our farmers take their farm products to the market and open the area for trade. Kenya cannot advance without Nakuru developing,” he said flanked by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Mr Murkomen and Lands Cabinet Secretary Zacharia Njeru among others.

Governor Kihika said the upgrading of the roads opens up Njoro and Nessuit Wards to development and urged farmers in the area to take advantage of the roads to access markets for their farm produce. “Our farmers will now be able to deliver their farm produce to the market without any problem,” she said.

President Ruto said water problems in the county will soon become part of history because the construction of the Itare Dam in Kuresoi, which had stalled, will begin soon. He said the Italian Government had agreed to complete the project and a new contractor was being sought to carry out the work. Governor Kihika concurred, saying: “The completion of Itare Dam is a solution to the water shortages in Nakuru,” she said.

Mr Murkomen, apart from the construction of roads, said the National Government was expediting the completion of the Lanet Airport in Nakuru City which will be commissioned in July. He also said they will fence the Njoro Airstrip to stop people from grabbing land belonging to the airport.