This archive report was first published on 21 June 2020.
On June 20, 2020, Agriculture CS Peter Munya toured the Kenya Meat Commission's Athi River plant, where he blamed the contractor for delayed modernisation work.
The government has spent Sh500 million to revamp the plant, with another Sh300 million allocated as capital to revive the ailing parastatal.
CS Munya admitted that the modernisation work started two years ago had stalled due to challenges with the contractor, but the work has since restarted.
“We will not entertain any further delay; we will be back here in August to see what the contractor has done,” CS Munya said.
The government plans to seek partners from the private sector to ensure the plant remains operational, and CS Munya hinted that KMC would lease out some of its properties to generate more money.
CS Munya also announced that the plant’s suppliers, who have not been paid for the last three years, will be paid next week.
Groups of herders have been storming KMC plants demanding payments amounting to Sh380 million for supplying livestock, and the KMC was re-opened in 2006 with the government targeting to promote the meat industry.
