Murang’a Investment Conference Spurs National Drive to Anchor Industrial Growth in Counties
The Principal Secretary for Investment Promotion, Mr. Abubakar Hassan, joined government leaders, investors and the business community at the first Murang’a Investment Conference, hosted at Thika Greens Golf Resort by Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata. The event was officially opened by His Excellency President William Ruto and marked a key milestone in Kenya’s strategy to transform counties into industrial and investment hubs.
In his keynote address, President Ruto emphasized the critical role of counties in delivering Kenya’s bottom-up economic transformation agenda. He identified Murang’a as a model county poised for industrial takeoff and announced significant investments by the national government to catalyze growth. “We have already spent KES 230 million to develop the first 10 acres of the Murang’a Special Economic Zone (SEZ). This SEZ has been identified as the pharmaceutical manufacturing hub of our country,” the President declared. He noted that the Ministry of Health would provide the technical expertise to localize the KES 150 billion worth of pharmaceutical imports.
President Ruto highlighted Murang’a’s strategic position in the national industrialization roadmap and praised the collaboration between county and national leadership. He emphasized the role of the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry in driving national SEZ development and aligning county initiatives with Kenya’s bottom-up economic transformation agenda. “We are working to build six additional special economic zones across the country, including here in Murang’a, to support value addition and industrial growth,” he said. He also underscored broader reforms to strengthen Kenya’s global trade position. “We are negotiating bilateral agreements with China to remove tariffs on Kenyan exports and have ratified the Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union. This expands our market access to over 450 million people. But to benefit, we must move from exporting raw produce to value-added goods,” the President stated.
Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development, Alice Wahome, echoed the President’s vision, reporting ongoing progress in planning and land processing. “We are working closely with the County Government and the National Land Commission. Survey work is nearly complete and title processing is underway. The 500 acres set aside for the SEZ are fully under development,” she said. CS Wahome further cited collaboration with PS Abubakar and CS Lee Kinyanjui of the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry in delivering infrastructure for national development priorities in Murang’a.
She also highlighted the national government's investments in housing and education across the county. “Out of 23 market projects in Murang’a, 14 are already underway. In the affordable housing program, three projects are already on the ground with a target of 10,000 units. Additionally, 6,800 hostel units have been allocated for students,” she revealed. CS Wahome stressed the need for development to remain above politics. “Even if we do politics, let it not be at the expense of development. What matters most is the impact on people’s lives,” she asserted.
Governor Irungu Kang’ata outlined Murang’a’s investment agenda, citing the strategic positioning of the county’s 1,300-acre parcel, with 500 acres allocated to EPZA and the remaining 800 zoned for manufacturing. “We have already handed over parcels for affordable housing, Matiba Hospital expansion, police infrastructure and more. What we now need is faster titling, SEZ designation and infrastructure support from the national government,” he said.
Governor Kang’ata also presented additional investment opportunities, including the County Aggregation and Industrial Park (CAIP), Mariira Farm, a unique landfill ideal for recycling waste with PPPs and the Murang’a County Creameries Cooperative Union (MCCCU). “Murang’a is number one in tea and avocado production, number two in coffee and macadamia. With value addition, this county can transform its economic status—and that of the country,” he concluded.
Equity Bank CEO, Dr. James Mwangi, delivered a compelling case for turning Murang’a into a model of African green industrialization. “This is not just my heritage—it is Kenya’s opportunity. With infrastructure already in place and the land next to Thika Superhighway, whatever we manufacture here reaches Nairobi’s market of five million people within 30 minutes,” he said.
Dr. Mwangi advocated for aggressive value addition. “As a small-scale farmer in Kangema, I earn KES 75 per kilo of tea. Yet, a sachet of tea in New York fetches KES 150,000. That is the gap we must close. Let us process, package and export from here,” he argued. He offered to lead the industrial park initiative. “Your Excellency, assign me officially—I will take charge and make it happen. Equity Bank will finance the project and I will rally other financial institutions to syndicate the capital,” he pledged.
Dr. Mwangi also emphasized Murang’a’s green energy potential and skilled labor force. “We are near the Seven Forks hydro dams. We can lead the continent in clean manufacturing. Murang’a is ready—its youth are educated, the roads are built and the farmers are producing,” he said, calling the project a convergence of infrastructure, entrepreneurship and policy alignment.
The Murang’a Investment Conference concluded with a national call to action. President Ruto invited counties to showcase their potential at the upcoming Kenya International Investment Conference in March 2026. “Let us take Murang’a’s example to the national stage. Together, we can make Kenya a unified, globally competitive investment destination,” he said.
With support from the State Department for Investment Promotion and the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry, Murang’a is now set to become a hub of agro-industrial transformation—anchoring Kenya’s vision of grassroots-led economic growth.