Sagana Agro-Industrial Park in Kirinyaga nears completion

MUTAI KIPNG'ETICH-KNA

Construction of the County Aggregation and Industrial Park (CAIP) in Kirinyaga is nearing completion, marking a significant milestone in the county’s efforts to become a regional hub for agro-processing and industrial development.

The facility, located in the Sagana Agro-Industrial suburb—a designated Special Economic Zone (SEZ)—will play a key role in supporting value addition, strengthening agricultural value chains, and creating employment opportunities.

Currently, eight warehouses are under construction, with 86 percent of the work completed.

These include two cold storage warehouses, two aggregation warehouses, and four value-addition warehouses, reflecting steady progress toward the facility’s full operationalization.

Speaking in Kariti Ward, Ndia Constituency, where the project is domiciled, Kirinyaga County Governor Anne Waiguru, said the project is projected to create massive job opportunities, especially for youth and women, once investors begin operations.

She noted that the Industrial Park will provide farmers with a structured system for aggregating produce, preserving it through modern cold storage facilities and channeling it into value addition industries within the Park.

“Those who grow avocados will have a place to supply their produce, as we will have an avocado oil factory. Those cultivating tomatoes will have their tomatoes processed into tomato paste.

Those will be more than 100,000 indirect jobs, while more than 10,000 direct jobs will go to our youth and women in Kirinyaga,” she stressed.

Waiguru said the project is one of the county’s flagship economic transformation initiatives and will play a central role in strengthening Kirinyaga’s agricultural economy.