PS Abubakar, PS Kilemi Unveil Investment and Cooperative Boost in Witu, Lamu County

The government has pledged new investments and cooperative support for residents of Witu, Lamu County, during a high-level visit by the Principal Secretary for Investment Promotion, Abubakar Hassan Abubakar and Principal Secretary for Cooperatives, Patrick Kilemi.

The two leaders, accompanied by local leaders and officials, toured the Witu Livestock Cooperative Society Ltd, a dairy facility with a capacity of 5,000 litres per day but currently underutilized due to inadequate infrastructure. The cooperative produces fresh milk, yoghurt and fermented milk but lacks cooling and separation equipment to scale operations.

PS Abubakar committed to attracting investors to help the cooperative utilize its 25,000 acres of undeveloped land and improve value addition across the livestock sector.

“We are committed to enhancing the livestock value chain – from dairy and meat to leather – and the government has set aside Ksh 5 billion to support farmers in achieving this goal,” said PS Abubakar. “I encourage Witu residents to apply for these funds and take full advantage of vaccination, annexure and gene improvement programmes already underway.”

He also announced plans to work with fruit investors to buy produce directly from farmers, establish collection points and eliminate exploitative middlemen. Additionally, he promised collaboration with the Ministry of Information to set up ICT hubs in Lamu, opening opportunities for online work and digital skills training.

As part of a CSR initiative PS Abubakar donated motorbikes to facilitate patient transport, iron sheets to support Madrassa classrooms and a tent and water tank for the Jua Kali sector.

PS Kilemi emphasized the national government’s plan to strengthen dairy cooperatives under the 10-billion-litre dairy initiative championed by President William Ruto.

“We want to ensure Lamu farmers are part of this transformation,” PS Kilemi said. “Through my office, we will deliver a 5,000-litre solar-powered milk cooler to Witu and I will facilitate a benchmarking visit for local farmers to Meru, home to one of Africa’s largest dairy processors.”

He further encouraged the formation of cooperatives to boost access to credit and market opportunities, while noting the launch of a Ksh 1 billion cotton ginnery in Mpeketoni tomorrow, positioning the county as Kenya’s leading cotton producer.

The visit underscored the government’s strategy to spur rural investment, empower cooperatives and link local producers to national and international markets.