Ruto praises Murang’a as county offers incentives to attract investors
Murang'a Governor Irungu Kangata (left), President William Ruto (second left) and other attendees of the Murang’a County International Investment Conference on June 13, 2025.
President William Ruto on Friday said the affordable housing projects will solve the problem of land sub division in agricultural rich areas across the country.
Addressing delegates during the first Murang’a Investment Conference at Thika Greens Resort, the President termed sub division of land into small pieces a danger to food security. For farmers to reap maximum profits from crops such as coffee, tea, macadamia and avocado, they should grow the crops in large scale to support agri-processing and value addition.
“Affordable housing projects will solve the problem of housing across the country, meaning that there will be no need to sub divide land for the purpose of establishing estates. This is the only way we will be able to preserve rich agricultural land,” he said.
Murang'a Governor Irungu Kangata (second left, front), President William Ruto (front, centre) and other attendees at the Murang’a County International Investment Conference on June 13, 2025.
He noted that land was a critical enabler of investment, saying his administration would enhance land tenure security for foreign direct investment and promote optimal land use through public-private partnerships.
The President said there was need for the national and county governments to collaborate and strengthen partnerships through harmonised regulations, shared development frameworks, and coordinated investment promotion efforts.
“End-to-end value chain ecosystems will help to raise local incomes, create employment for the youth, improve food security, and position counties as globally competitive exporters," President Ruto noted
“This conference comes at a time when we are integrating county-level investment promotion into its broader foreign engagement strategy,” he said.
“Our recent signing of the EU-Kenya Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) which grants exporters duty-free, quota-free access to the European Union presents opportunities for county governments in agro-processing, manufacturing, and value addition,” the President added.
The president said for investment to thrive, counties must provide stable, predictable, and business-friendly environment including improving infrastructure, streamlining regulations and lowering the cost of doing business.
The investment conference, which brought together investors drawn from various sectors, is aimed at marketing Murang’a County as a desired investment destination.
A display at the Murang’a County International Investment Conference.
Governor Irungu Kang’ata said the county government had set aside 1,300 acres of land to establish an industrial park, where 500 acres would be used for an Export Processing Zone (EPZ) while a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) would be established on the remaining 800 acres.
He said investors who wish to invest in the EPZ will get 10 years corporate tax holiday, 10 years withholding tax holiday, 100 per cent investment deduction on new investment and operation under one licence among other benefits.
Other benefits will include zero rated tax on supply of goods, stamp duty exemption from executing documents, exemption from payment of withholding taxes on loyalties.
“We encourage investors to take advantage of the incentives and establish manufacturing industries and businesses. This will also create jobs for our youth,” he said.
The governor said with its strategic location of the SEZ off the Kenol-Thika Highway is attractive for investors who will access the Nairobi market and Jomo Kenyatta International airport.
He said the county government had also allocated 29 acres of land near Kabati area for establishment of county aggregation and industrial park.
The park will host manufacturing industries for farm produce with a target to increase export of processed agricultural products, the governor said.
On construction of markets across the country, President Ruto said the facilities would help in reducing post-harvest losses among farmers, since they were equipped with storage facilities
Others who attended the conference were governors Kiarie Badilisha (Nyandarua) and his Kirinyaga counterpart Ms Anne Waiguru, as well as Lands and Housing Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome.
Also present were Equity Group Chief Executive Officer James Mwangi, who pledged to finance investors that will set up businesses in the county, and Murang’a Budget and Economic Council chairman Mr Peter Munga.
Mr Badilisha called for support from the national government to have counties invest more in industries.
“Manufacturing will be of great help in creating wealth and tackling unemployment in counties. Let’s have structures on how counties can access credit facilities and some incentives to boost industrialization,” he added.
Ms Waiguru called for unity among counties with the aim of promoting industrialization, noting that devolved units should collaborate and create synergies to ensure there was harmony in their development projects.
“Exporting of processed products will not only benefit counties but also local mwananchi especially those engaged in agriculture. We want to create jobs for all our youth across the country,” she said.