Construction works for the first Uasin Gishu County Aggregation and Industrial Park (CAIP) are set to begin soon.
This is after the county officially handed over the site to contractors awarded tender for the project.
The handing-over ceremony was held on Thursday, December 6, 2023. It was presided over by Governor Jonathan Bii Chelilim.
The county boss says the project located in Moiben ward will address among others help tackle post-harvest losses.
“This afternoon, we handed over the construction site of the Uasin Gishu County Aggregation and Industrial Park (CAIP), situated on a 35-acre parcel in Moiben ward, to the contractor,” Governor Bii said.
“The park which aims to tackle post-harvest losses by incorporating cold rooms and modern storage facilities, fostering value addition and securing better prices for our products aligns with our commitment to addressing youth unemployment by providing opportunities for employment,” he added.
Water supply site
Once complete, the project is expected to spur economic development in the area.
Already the contractor has established a water supply site to serve nearby households, schools, and health centers.
The Moiben Aggregation and Industrial Park will cost Ksh500 million – half of which will be contributed by the Natonal Government. However, in the current budget the project has been allocated Ksh110 million following the scaling down of the budget by the County Assembly.
Ksh125 million is expected to be allocated for the same project in the next two financial years.
In addition, the project was initially to be at Cherunya farm before it was moved to Moiben due to land isuses.
The county plans to set up similar smaller Aggregation and Industrial Parks in Kahoya, Merewet, Cheptiret, Kesses, Kipkaren and Ziwa Machine.
Initially, Ksh7.5 million had been allocated to the 6 projects in the 2023/2024 financial year but the budget was scaled down to Ksh3.55 million in a Supplementary Budget that was recently passed by the Uasin Gishu County Assembly.
