Kirinyaga Governor Ann Waiguru has affirmed that her administration is committed to supporting investors who wish to invest in the county in various sectors.
Speaking during the opening of the NCBA Bank branch in Kerugoya, the Governor said the establishment of the bank in the area is a testament of collective vision for a prosperous future of the region. She added they will work with banks to come up with programs for supporting SMEs.
“The county is eager to partner with the bank to come up with initiatives aimed at supporting local SMEs and acquiring long-term partnerships for the county’s economic growth,”.
The Governor said following her administration’s efforts to support farmers across all agricultural value chains, production has greatly improved, leading to availability of adequate supplies of raw materials for value addition in the agro-based industries hence the bank will come in handy for business financing.
Waiguru says she believes Kirinyaga County is set to become the biggest investment hub in the region owing to the ongoing development of Sagana Industrial City, the EPZ and the ECZ which have attracted massive investments.
“The project will grow the manufacturing sector through agro-industries and sustainably enhance the productivity in agriculture, increasing farmers’ income and foreign exchange. This is an opportunity for NCBA to offer their support to investors willing to participate in the project,” she said.
Chairperson NCBA group, James Ndegwa said Kirinyaga County is a high producer of high-quality tea, rice and horticultural crops, which give higher prices in both local and foreign markets.
“We are aligned with the county’s slogan ‘Kirinyaga Rising’ to drive our bank’s future in the region. We are dedicated to fostering financial inclusion in order to drive the country’s socio-economic transformation agenda,” he said.
NCBA Director of Retail Banking, Tirus Mwithiga, noted that research shows that Kirinyaga is fastest growing county economically and it is an important area to invest.
The NCBA Kerugoya is the 97th branch and is part of the bank’s local expansion drive aimed at taking the business into new sectors of the economy and bringing its services closer to customers.
By Mutai Kipngetich
