Locals have been urged to support the ongoing Matawa organic fertilizer plant project in Mumias West Sub County, Kakamega County
The plant aims at manufacturing nitrogen-rich manure that will benefit the region and other counties at a low cost.
County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Water, Environment, Natural Resources, and Climate Change Peninah Mukabane asked the community to embrace the project for its sustainability.
She said the County in partnership with Practical Action would involve the youth in sensitizing residents on the need to segregate waste at source before it is transported to the factory for processing.
She was accompanied by her counterparts Godfrey Owori (Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Co-operatives and Irrigation) and Rachel Atamba (Trade, Industrialization and Tourism).
Owori and Atamba assured the residents that the operationalizing of the factory was on course and it would benefit the farmers.
The trio were speaking when they visited the factory to check on its progress and any challenges it might have experienced before receiving the first batch of fertilizer production equipment this week.
The factory uses sanitation and organic waste to produce organic fertilizer, animal feeds and biomass briquettes.
The project will be implemented in three phases, with phase one and two encompassing fertilizer production while phase three will see the introduction of the briquettes and black soldier fly which breaks down the organic material into nitrogen-rich manure.
The company targets to collect waste from the entire Lake Region Economic Bloc which holds a population of over 14 million people.
Kakamega County Investment Development Agency (KCIDA) CEO Elizabeth Asichi said that waste collection from the Municipal Markets and other neighbouring counties would begin in June 2024.
By John Ochanda
