Kwale: The construction of the Sh. 500 million Kwale County Aggregation and Industrial Park (CAIP) project in Lunga Lunga Sub County is almost 78 percent complete. The CAIP project is expected to accelerate agro-processing and value addition to cashew nuts, pepper, green grams, tomatoes, and cassava among other crops that thrive in the area.
According to Kenya News Agency, the project, which is expected to be completed by December 2025, is designed as a full agricultural value chain that seeks to drive food security, industrial development, and employment generation. The main objective of CAIP in the counties is to grow manufacturing and investments through agro-industries and enhance the productivity of the agriculture sector in a sustainable manner.
County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries Roman Shera states that the CAIP project is set to drive manufacturing and investment through agro-industries while enhancing agricultural productivity, creating inclusive and decent jobs. Shera indicates that the project is capable of attracting public and private sector interest and driving a market-oriented agricultural transformation that will boost agro-processing capacity in the coastal county.
He adds that the new facility is in the process of getting the necessary amenities like water, road network, security, and electricity connections. The County Executive for Agriculture mentioned that the project components include an aggregation warehouse, a value addition warehouse, a powerhouse, a pump house, cold rooms, an ablution block, and office spaces.
Shera also noted that Kwale will use the state-of-the-art facility as a ladder for economic growth. He added that the new project aligns with the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) championed by the national government. BETA is a national strategic initiative to improve livelihoods and welfare through inclusive and sustainable economic growth and is aligned with Vision 2030.
BETA focuses on five key pillars of Agriculture, Micro Small and Medium Enterprises, Housing, Healthcare, and the Digital Superhighway and Creative Economy. Shera was speaking during an inspection tour of the CAIP project, accompanied by County Secretary Sylvia Chidodo, Speaker of the County Assembly Seth Mwatela, CECM for Tourism, Trade and Enterprise Development Michael Mutua, and his counterpart for Roads and Infrastructure Ali Joto.
He reaffirmed Kwale's commitment to developing a modern agricultural ecosystem encompassing mechanized farming, high-value crop production, livestock, fisheries, and agro-processing. Kenya's long-term development blueprint, Vision 2030, aims to transform the country into an industrialized middle-income nation offering a high quality of life to all citizens. The national government recognizes the role played by agriculture and manufacturing sectors in income generation, wealth and job creation, increased foreign exchange earnings, and poverty reduction.