The Agricultural Society of Kenya (ASK) has embarked on an extensive modernization programme of its show grounds as it seeks to inject impetus into their offering of world-class exhibition facilities on and off the show days.
ASK Show Grounds Services Manager Kefa Nyachwaya said that the modern Jamhuri Park exposition and conferencing center, which was constructed with funding from the national government and the ASK, was completed in 2022 and is now in use for exhibitions, conferences, and meetings all year round.
Nyachwaya, speaking on Thursday during a media tour of the ASK grounds in Nairobi, said that the construction of the facility came as a result of an exercise in planning by the ASK with a view to modernizing the show grounds, and the master plan is what is guiding other developments in phase one, which touches on the society’s core mandate of exhibitions.
Nyachwaya said that the facility consists of a main hall and other auxiliary facilities that embrace green technology and support climate-smart objectives.
“The facility has a lot of natural lighting through large windows, and it is served by solar water heating and lighting systems, which minimize the use of electricity,” said Nychwaya.
He explained that the facility has an expansive rainwater collection system that is connected to an underground water tank with a capacity of 750,000 liters, which is filled within two days when there are adequate rains.
According to Nyachwaya, the fears that Nairobi residents face water shortages whenever the show is near are not true since they have their own sources of water which support them before, during, and after the show.
“The Nairobi showground has its own dam with a capacity of 65 million liters of water; it has several boreholes, and the water harvesting aspect has just increased the internal capacity,” he said.
Nyachwaya explained that the conferencing facility has a seating capacity of 6,000 people and urged people having conferences, exhibitions, religious gatherings, or any other meetings to make use of the state-of-the-art facility.
“We have a parking capacity of 4,200 vehicles, we have a green environment which is relaxing, and all these things offer a perfect environment. We demolished 19 stands in order to create the three-acre space for the construction of the modern facility, which has become more convenient for exhibitors since they are now centrally located and those visiting the stands don’t have to walk long distances, making it a one-stop shop,” explained Nyachwaya.
He said that for exhibitions which host the standard cubical format of three meters by three meters, the facility can hold a total of 144 booths.
“Our main aim in the modernization plan is reorganizing the agricultural shows in the country and creating order in a manner where both exhibitors and visitors are able to get the information they want with a lot of ease,” said Nyachwaya.
He explained that once the master plan is fully implemented, the individual stands which are scattered will be done away with so that they can arrange the show to enable sectors like financing institutions to be in one area, as well as agricultural, educational, insurance, and many others.
ASK Nairobi Regional Manager Betty Rotich said that the one-stop conferencing facility is a ready-made solution for exhibitors because they don’t have to do a lot of construction and repairs, which is cost-effective for them.
On the green solution initiatives that they are undertaking, Rotich said that they are making deliberate efforts to bring on board stakeholders who are in the smart climate sectors, and they are looking to sign a lot of exhibitors in the water conservation industry and solar systems, among other climate smart solution providers.
“As ASK, we participate a lot in tree conservation programmes through initiatives like the young farmer programme where in Nairobi we have planted over 2,000 trees this year alone,” said Rotich.
Nairobi International Trade Fair Chairman Joseph Mugo said that the trade fair provides a perfect platform for the exchange of information and learning of agriculture and agribusiness for sustainable agriculture in the country.
Mugo said that this year the trade fair show will be held from the 25th of September to the 1st of October 2023 under the theme of ‘Promoting climate smart agriculture and trade initiatives for sustainable economic growth.’
“This year’s event will bring together over 350 local and international exhibitors from diverse sectors of the economy,” said the chairman.
By Joseph Ng’ang’a
