This archive report was first published on 17 September 2021.
On a visit to the Athi River Export Processing Zone (EPZ), Industrialisation Cabinet Secretary Betty Maina encouraged the private sector to transform its land into special economic zones, assuring firms of government support.
Ms Maina acknowledged the role the private sector has played in the special economic zones and said the government is willing to provide the necessary services to woo more investors.
"We encourage private sector to turn their land into such serviced sites and the government will offer its services like Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) and immigration services in such an environment," she said during the visit.
Ms Maina toured African Coffee Roasters and MAS Intimates Kenya, a Sri Lankan company that makes high-end textiles with links to notable brands such as Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger.
Over 60,000 people are employed across the country in EPZ, with the number of gazetted zones standing at 76 as of December 2020, out of which 71 are privately owned and operated while five are public.
Kenya has been positioned as one of the largest exporters of apparel to the USA under the African Growth and Opportunities Act (Agoa) programme for the last five years.
Textile and apparel exports under Agoa from Kenyan-based companies were valued at over $450 million (Sh49 billion) in 2019.
MAS Intimates Kenya, which started operations in January 2020, has so far shipped more than Sh165 million ($1.5 million) worth of garments largely to the United States, Canada, Australia, Mexico and Japan.
Its monthly sales are expected to increase to over $8 million (Sh872 million) by 2025.
