This archive report was first published on 15 August 2019.
On Thursday, August 15, 2019, Trade and Industrialization Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya led a delegation of top government officials to brief Raila Odinga on the progress of the revival of the defunct ginnery, KICOMI, as well as the Kisumu Special Economic Zone Project.
The delegation, which included CEO of the Special Zones Authority Dr. Meshack Kimeu and the acting CEO of the Export and Processing Zones Authority George Makateo, informed Raila Odinga of the government's schedule and plans for setting up the economic zone, as directed by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
According to a statement by Dennis Onyango, Raila Odinga's spokesperson, the team briefed Raila on their plan to acquire more land and rope in more industries within the lake region and neighboring counties to make the zone effective and employ a large number of Kenyans.
Mr. Odinga expressed satisfaction with the progress towards setting up the SEZ in Kisumu, including the acquisition of more land and efforts to rope in some of the existing industries to be part of the SEZ.
He also appreciated work on the revival of KICOMI, including work undertaken to assess its current state and possible sources for funding for both projects.
During the meeting, Raila urged the government to fast-track the projects so that they start operations as soon as possible.
He asked the ministry to collaborate closely with the county government and local institutions of higher learning to ensure the projects' success.
Mr. Odinga further called on the ministry to factor in agricultural activities in addition to industries in setting up the SEZ and the revival of KICOMI.
