Revival Of Mt Kenya Textile Industry Underway
Updated on: Dec 17, 2020
As Nanyuki turns a hundred years since it was gazetteted as a township, the national and Laikipia County governments have committed to revive the famous Mountex Textile Industry which had folded in early 2000.
The revival will see new jobs created in the county. It will also increase the economic status of people in the surrounding counties as most of the farmers for the raw materials come from surrounding counties.
As the CEC in charge of Infrastructure development in the county Joseph Shuel says, the industry will open up the entire economy in the Mount Kenya Region and beyond.
The industry will bring in more jobs than it used to when before it closed down. In its peak seasons, the industry had created around 5,000 jobs.
The new Mountex Textile Industry will create employment for people in Nanyuki going beyond 6,000. It will also give market to the cotton farmers in Laikipia, Meru and other counties in the region, said Mr. Shuel. Farmers have already been sensitized to plant the right quality crops in readiness for the opening of the industry.
The revival comes as an alignment to the Big Four Agenda of the country; manufacturing. Manufacturing own products helps a county and country to be independent and avoid unnecessary importation.
It has been tough to make the revival efforts to bear fruits. The county officials realized that the land previously occupied by the organization is no longer tenable. Through the department, the county has now identified a 62-acre land where the revived industry is set to occupy.
We identified the Nanyuki quarry which has an area of 62 acres to relocate the Mountex Industry. We have done the feasibility study of the area and now awaiting the national governments feedback, said the CEC adding that the process has been affected and halted by Covid-19 pandemic.
The industry will have specialized factory for production of synthetic fabrics and will be the only one of its kind in East Africa.
As a preparation measure, Laikipia farmers have already received some high-quality cotton seeds ahead of the opening of the industry. Early November this year, the Chief Officer James Mungere received 540 kgs of Bt cotton seeds from Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA). Bt cotton is a genetically modified organism or genetically modified pest resistant plant cotton variety, which produces an insecticide to combat bollworm. Distribution of the seeds is still ongoing depending on the rainfall availability of the locality.
The county government has mapped out 11 of its 15 wards as viable areas where the plant can thrive.
The revival will see new jobs created in the county. It will also increase the economic status of people in the surrounding counties as most of the farmers for the raw materials come from surrounding counties.
As the CEC in charge of Infrastructure development in the county Joseph Shuel says, the industry will open up the entire economy in the Mount Kenya Region and beyond.
The industry will bring in more jobs than it used to when before it closed down. In its peak seasons, the industry had created around 5,000 jobs.
The new Mountex Textile Industry will create employment for people in Nanyuki going beyond 6,000. It will also give market to the cotton farmers in Laikipia, Meru and other counties in the region, said Mr. Shuel. Farmers have already been sensitized to plant the right quality crops in readiness for the opening of the industry.
The revival comes as an alignment to the Big Four Agenda of the country; manufacturing. Manufacturing own products helps a county and country to be independent and avoid unnecessary importation.
It has been tough to make the revival efforts to bear fruits. The county officials realized that the land previously occupied by the organization is no longer tenable. Through the department, the county has now identified a 62-acre land where the revived industry is set to occupy.
We identified the Nanyuki quarry which has an area of 62 acres to relocate the Mountex Industry. We have done the feasibility study of the area and now awaiting the national governments feedback, said the CEC adding that the process has been affected and halted by Covid-19 pandemic.
The industry will have specialized factory for production of synthetic fabrics and will be the only one of its kind in East Africa.
As a preparation measure, Laikipia farmers have already received some high-quality cotton seeds ahead of the opening of the industry. Early November this year, the Chief Officer James Mungere received 540 kgs of Bt cotton seeds from Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA). Bt cotton is a genetically modified organism or genetically modified pest resistant plant cotton variety, which produces an insecticide to combat bollworm. Distribution of the seeds is still ongoing depending on the rainfall availability of the locality.
The county government has mapped out 11 of its 15 wards as viable areas where the plant can thrive.
