Murang’a county is stepping up plans to transform Kenol into a major industrial and commercial centre.
The county is banking on infrastructure development and manufacturing to attract investors and extend Nairobi’s economic growth into the region.
Speaking while commissioning the upgraded Githanji access road in Kenol, Governor Irungu Kang’ata said his administration was prioritising infrastructure projects to prepare the fast-growing municipality for increased business activity and urban expansion.
“We, as a county, must ensure we build a new city here at Makenji. There is no society that develops without manufacturing, and urbanisation is a force for good,” he said.
Kang’ata said Kenol was strategically positioned to benefit from Nairobi’s outward expansion along the Thika Road corridor, where urban growth has extended towards Ruiru, Juja and Thika.
He said Murang’a needed to prepare for the next phase of this expansion by improving infrastructure and creating an environment that would attract businesses and investors.
“Nairobi county must grow towards this region. We are seeing the city developing towards Ruiru, developing towards Juja, and now Thika will go towards Kenol,” he said.
The governor said the county was implementing infrastructure projects to improve connectivity, support Kenol’s growth and stimulate economic activity in surrounding areas.
He argued that urbanisation would increase demand for goods and services, creating business opportunities and employment for residents.
“Urbanisation creates cities, cities create demand, and through demand, that is how people are lifted out of poverty. They create employment,” he said.
The latest infrastructure push builds on Kang’ata’s wider ambition to establish a 1,400-acre industrial city near Del Monte, which he has positioned as a manufacturing and commercial investment destination.
The proposed development comprises a 500-acre Export Processing Zone and an 800-acre Special Economic Zone. Plans include industries, a technology hub, commercial facilities, a stadium, schools, recreational spaces and residential developments.
Within the SEZ, 276 acres have been earmarked for light, medium and heavy industries, while another 75 acres will accommodate a MediCity.
The county is offering investors land at subsidised rates, with leases of up to 99 years, to encourage businesses to establish operations in the proposed industrial zone.
Kang’ata previously said one acre was being offered at Sh7 million, against an estimated market value of Sh35 million. He added that about 60 per cent of the available land had already been booked.
In June, the county issued 44 allotment letters to investors, including companies in healthcare, food processing, agriculture and manufacturing, as it stepped up efforts to attract private capital.
On Monday, Kang’ata met Director of Public Prosecutions Renson Ingonga and handed him an allotment letter for the establishment of an Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions at the site.
The industrialisation drive is anchored on Murang’a’s agricultural potential. The county is seeking to promote the local processing of tea, coffee, milk, avocado and macadamia to increase the value of its produce and create jobs.
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