CENTRAL PC Japhter Rugut has invited businesspeople to invest in the region. He said Central Kenya is ideal for investors as it has a “pleasant combination” of rain and sun throughout the year and rarely experiences extreme weather. Rugut said the region’s population of four million can provide casual or skilled labour and is a ready market for products.
The PC said the region has good infrastructure. “Access to major towns in Kenya from the region is easy due to the availability of an established road network and commuter networks. As for telecommunications, the area is covered by all the major mobile phone networks,” he said.
He was speaking at Green Hills Hotel in Nyeri county during the official opening of the one-day Kenya Investment Conference yesterday. “The area has established business networks for industries of all sizes…There is a large supply of professional business service providers with a good network of banks, microfinance institutions, insurance companies, lawyers and more to serve the business community.”
The region, he said, has a comparatively low cost of living. However, the Kenya Investment Authority general manager, Mwalimu Musee, said some areas have poor infrastructure and communication with remote parts of the region is difficult. Musee, who was accompanied by the authority’s board chairman Mwangi Ngumo, said bureaucracy in obtaining of various licenses is a setback to investors.
The conference was sponsored by the government, Kenya Investment Authority, Kimathi University College, Equity Bank and others. More than 200 investors and provincial administrators attended the event.
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