The Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Lands and Housing, Alice Wahome, has applauded Murang’a county for holding a one-of-a-kind investment conference saying it sets a new benchmark for county-driven economic transformation.
The CS who was speaking at the Murang’a Investment Conference on June 13 commended the county for wooing investors and affirmed the government’s commitment to aligning land use for sustainable development and emphasised that land underpins all development.
She noted that industrial development is a significant factor in the realization of economic development in the country and averred that the national government will support Murang’a county through strategic partnerships.
Wahome said that the National Spatial Plan (NSP) formulated in 2015 is a monumental acknowledgement of this relationship as it provides a spatial framework for achieving economic efficiency, global competitiveness, balanced regional development, liveable and functional human settlements and environmental sustainability while giving strategic areas for investment in counties based on inherent potentials, development challenges and unique opportunities.
“For Muranga, NSP recognizes the Agro-potential and recommends measures for exploitation of the same through the provision of appropriate infrastructure for manufacturing.” She said.
“It also outlines the county’s challenges, including the need to define urban growth limits to regulate land fragmentation and gives measures to conserve water towers and forest resources, including Gatare, Karua, Kimakia, Kiambicho and Wanjerere forests,” she added.
As she recognized the critical role of the land resource in strategic investment, the CS noted that the county’s main focus is on manufacturing, industrialization, health and recycling and added that the Ministry of Lands and Housing has worked collaboratively with the County Government of Murang’a in facilitating the development of this strategic site.
“The key achievement includes a recent and ongoing collaboration in land use planning, surveying and titling of this land in Makenji, Kenol that was ceded by Del Monte to the County Government of Muranga,” she said.
“The site is highly strategic; located along the A2-Thika Superhighway that ensures excellent connectivity to Nairobi and other towns, has favourable topographic and physiographic features that favour investment and industrialization,” she added.
She further noted that the Ministry of Land and the county government have jointly completed the land use planning process as well as the ground survey and are now in the process of preparing titles to secure investments such as the Export Processing Zone (EPZ) that has already commenced its industrial investments.
“The affordable housing project that is currently being constructed in Makenji will provide affordable housing to Murang’a residents especially those workers in the proposed Murang’a Industrial Park, Medi city, fire station, stadium, commercial and ICT hubs, modern market and government offices, schools, conservation areas as well as residential and commercial developments,” she stated adding that together, all these will contribute immensely to unlocking Murang’a as an industrial hub.
Murang’a governor, Irungu Kanga’ata, on his part encouraged investors to take advantage of the incentives given and establish manufacturing industries and businesses on the land allocated for an industrial park.
Kanga’ta said that those who wish to invest in the Export Processing Zone will get a 10 years’ corporate tax holiday, a 10-year withholding tax holiday, a 100 per cent investment deduction on new investment and operation under one license issued by EPZA.
Benefits of investing in the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) will include zero-rated tax on the supply of goods or taxable services to an SEZ, stamp duty exemption from executing documents, and exemption from payment of withholding taxes on royalties, among others.
By Purity Mugo
