NGPU March 24, 2023

Second Nakuru County Industrial Park to create more than 10,000 Job opportunities for residents

Written by James Munyua

Residents of Nakuru County will benefit from thousands of job opportunities during and after the implementation of an Industrial Park project at Egerton University, in Njoro.

The Park will sit on a 250 acres piece of land at the University and will be among the 6 flagship projects being undertaken by the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry in collaboration with the County Governments.

The Industrial Park will not only boost Egerton University in research but also anchor Nakuru as a World Class Trade and Investment destination.

Speaking during a site visit by a team from Export Processing Zones Authority that is under the Ministry, Technical University of Kenya (TUK) experts and a team from the County Government of Nakuru the team said the main intention of the visit was to survey the land and come up with maps, design and master plan for the construction of Industrial park.

“We want the industrial park to be here to accelerate value addition, create employment and enhance our GDP. The government has already given 100 million for the construction of basic infrastructure,” said Alice Atogo who represented the EPZA CEO, Hussein Mohammed.

Atogo added that the national government and the County Government of Nakuru will collaborate to make sure what is produced in the county is of high quality and will be in high demand in the outside market.

On their part, representatives from the Technical University of Kenya said the team will play an integral role in offering technical expertise that will be needed to construct the infrastructure of its magnitude in Nakuru County.

The team consists of architects, quantity surveyors, planners, and civil, electrical and mechanical engineers who will oversee the implementation of the project.

The CECM for Trade, Cooperatives, culture and Industry Mr Stephen Kuria who represented the governor said the project which will create many job opportunities for the locals during and after the construction.

“We are talking about over 10,000 jobs that will be created here for common mwananchi in this area and within the county. This is what the national government and the county promised the people and it will be fulfilled,” the CECM said.

The CECM added that the County Government will allocate 100 million shillings which will be available in the next financial year to facilitate the basic infrastructure for the project.

Egerton University which already has an existing Agro-Science Park established in 2011 will use this opportunity to expand its research by applying scientific knowledge and moving knowledge from the classroom into actual output and actual benefit to society.

The University will therefore incorporate the 50 acres of land under the Agro-Science Park into the 200 acres given to the industrial park and offer all the expertise in matters of agriculture.

On March 3, President William Ruto said the National Government has set aside 1 billion shillings for the second industrial park in Nakuru.

The President tasked Nakuru Governor H.E Susan Kihika to identify 500 acres of land in the County, preferably in the Njoro sub-county, where the industrial park will be constructed.

The president said this will attract investors, boost local manufacturing and create employment for thousands of youths in the County.