The National Assembly’s Trade, Industry & Cooperatives Committee inspected the Naivasha Special Economic Zone (SEZ) as part of its routine oversight. SEZ is an agency within the State Department for Investment Promotion which is under  the Committee’s purview. 

Led by the Committee Chairperson, Hon. James Mwangi Gakuya, the Committee inspected the Industrial Park, Inland Container Depot, Standard Gauge Railway Marshalling Yard, Water Reservoir and Distribution systems, Logistics Zone, Power Substations, Dry Ports for Partnering States and different sites owned by investors.

During the Field Inspection, the Committee sought to understand the challenges experienced by the Naivasha SEZ, the progress of the projects therein, the return on investments and the number of serious investors on the ground.

Additionally, the Committee sought to know how the agencies have utilized the funds allocated since inception, why they needed additional funding and the future plans of the Special Economic Zone Authority (SEZA).

In his response, the Chairperson of the SEZA Board, Mr. Biwott Ngeny appreciated the oversight role of the Committee and informed Members  that his Board is conscious about the cost and return on investment and that already five serious investors were on site. The investors are: Jumbo AAA Holding SEZ Ltd. Jafro SEZ Ltd, Turkish Industry Holding SEZ, Sino Excellence and Eriken MFG Ltd.

Mr. Biwott also said that the investors are constructing SEZ shades and that the largest investor; Turkish Industry Holdings Ltd. who is occupying 400 acres, is expected to manufacture MDF, tissue paper, ceramics, aluminum & steel. 

On his part, the CEO for Naivasha SEZ, Mr. Kenneth Lang’at took the Committee  through  the challenges facing the project. He mentioned vandalism, zero budget allocation for development, lack of personnel dedicated to the management of Naivasha projects and poor road network within the industrial park as the challenges that Naivasha SEZ is grappling with.

Mr. Lang’at assured the Committee that SEZ is determined to support the investors. He said that about 75% of the land owned by SEZ had already been allocated to investors and that 50 acres had also been allocated to the neighbouring countries which included Uganda, Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan for the dry port as an incentive to attract foreign investors.

In his closing remarks, Hon. Gakuya urged the Naivasha SEZ management to properly utilize the Government funds to ensure that there is value for money for citizens.

Committee Members present at the Naivasha SEZ field inspection visit were: Hon. James Mwangi Gakuya, Hon. Adams Kipsanai, Hon. Marianne Kitanny, Hon. Tom Oloch, Hon. Sakimba Parashina, Hon. Beatrice Adagala, Hon. Adhe Wario and Hon. Robert Gichimu Githinji.